


Wrapped in an Enigma

by alexcat



Category: Stargate: SG-1
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Mystery, Parenthood, Stagate: SG-1 - Freeform, Teamwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-27
Updated: 2010-12-27
Packaged: 2017-10-14 04:03:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 25,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/145152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexcat/pseuds/alexcat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are long kept secrets in Jack O'Neill's world and they are about to explode.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue and Chapter One

In memory of Sara.

As always.

 

WRAPPED IN AN ENIGMA

Prologue

 

Laira stood with her hand over her belly as Jack O’Neill left her planet. She smiled on the outside but on the inside she grieved. Losing him was not as hard as losing her husband but it was not easy either. At least Jack was still alive even though she wasn’t sure she would ever see him again.

He hadn’t meant to stay here for three months but there had been little choice. She wanted him to be a part of their village, to become one of them but he never quite stopped pining for home. She supposed that was easy enough to understand. His loneliness had got the best of him and he had finally come to her bed.

Thus it was that he left her with a gift that even he didn’t know about. She knew it was too early to tell but she knew anyway. Jack had given her the child she asked him for. Now she would have a new life to care for while she mourned the loss of yet another love.

~~~~~

 

CHAPTER 1

General Hank Landry made a habit of staying at Stargate Command most of the time. He had a small room with a cot, a hotplate and a coffee maker as part of his office and many nights he simply stayed there. His own apartment was lonely without a companion to make it a home. The SGC had become his home, right down to having his own daughter working there.

Thus it was that he was there the night that the gate alarm went off at 2:24 am.

The claxons sounded as the lights flashed. The tech announced to the entire base: “Unauthorized offworld activation!”

General Landry came awake as soon as he heard the loud alarm. He sat straight up and was soon dressed and heading to the control room. He was surprised to see Walter already at the computer that controlled the Stargate.

“What’s going on, Walter?”

“It’s from P5C-768…uh, Edora.”

General Landry was almost as familiar with the Stargate files as Cam Mitchell was. “That was the planet with the near miss with the meteors, the one where General O’Neill got stranded for more than three months?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Open the iris. With the Goa’uld and Ori out of the picture, I’m willing to take a chance that no one will be sending a bomb through.”

Walter looked a bit uncertain but he did as the general asked and within moments, the Stargate looked like a vertical pool of blue rippling water.

A woman walked through. She looked around at the soldiers at the bottom of the ramp with more than a little concern but she didn’t let her fear stop her. General Landry had made his way into the gate room and met her as she stepped off the ramp.

“I am General Hank Landry, head of this base. What can we do for you?”

“Where is Jack?” Her fear was beginning to get the best of her. She was visibly trembling. “He came from here.”

“And you are?” Landry wanted to comfort the woman but had no idea what would comfort her since he didn’t know what was the matter with her.

“I am Laira. My son, he’s gone. Some men came and took him away. They said that there is something here that they want and if you give it to them, I’ll get Jonathan back.”

Landry understood that someone had taken her son for ransom but he still couldn’t see why they would think that the SGC would be willing to deal with the kidnappers.  
“I am sorry but I seem to be missing something.”

Laira wiped a few tears from her eyes. “Jonathan is only nine and he is Jack’s son.”

To say that Landry was shocked would be an understatement. He finally managed to speak. “Jack’s son?”

“He doesn’t know. I asked him for a child but I never told him that he gave me one.”

Landry was regaining his composure and his manners. “Let’s go upstairs and find you a place to rest, get you a cup of coffee or something and see where we are.”

Laira seemed to trust him and she nodded and allowed him to guide her to the conference room upstairs. He got her a glass of water and filled the coffee maker to brew a pot. He figured he might very well need the whole pot himself before this night was done.

*

Jack O’Neill was in Washington, D.C. when the call came. He was sleeping in his recliner with the television still playing some rerun of a hockey game. Hockey games soothed him when he couldn’t get to sleep. Tonight was just one of those many nights.  
The phone woke him much as the claxons had Hank Landry an hour or so earlier.

“Sam?” He always worried about her when she was offworld and now she was commanding the General George Hammond so she was way offworld.

“No sir, Hank Landry here. We have a little problem here at Stargate Command.”

Jack sat up and rubbed his hand through his hair. “Something you can’t handle?”

“Well, sir, this concerns you.”

“Spill it, Hank.”

“There is a woman here named Laira and she says her son has been kidnapped.”

“Garren? Why would anyone kidnap him?”

“This son is named Jonathan. He’s nine years old. His mother says--”

But Landry was talking to empty space. O’Neill was already out of the bed and in the shower.

*

Vala Mal Doran was asleep in her tiny bed in her tiny apartment in Colorado Springs. She had finally convinced General Landry to let her live off base. SG-1 was scheduled to go out tomorrow so she’d gone to bed early after having dinner with Cam. Daniel was out of town but was supposed to be back in time to go out with them tomorrow. They were still trying to help clean up some of the mess that the Ori had made. Planets had been hit with plague, crop failures, even mass murder and the people of Earth were trying to help them out.

She was dreaming about Daniel when the phone rang. In her dream, she and Daniel were old and had been together for a very long time. He was still handsome with his grey hair and his wrinkles. They were in a small room and were holding one another. Just as he was about to kiss her, the phone rang.

“Vala here. This had better be good. A girl needs her sleep.”

“General Landry. I need you to come in now. Mitchell is on his way and Dr. Jackson’s plane lands in half an hour. Teal’c is already here too.”

“What has happened?” Terror ran through her. “Has Adria found some way to return?”

“When you get here. The car will be there in about fifteen minutes.” He hung up before she could say another word. “But no, Adria has not returned."

Thank goodness for that! She couldn’t think of anything worse. She knew she had never actually been a real mother to Adria but every time her daughter came into her life, her heart broke anew because no matter what, she still had a mother’s love for her child, no matter how evil that child was.


	2. Chapter Two

CHAPTER 2

 

Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell arrived at the SGC just as Vala did.

“Do you know what’s going on, Cam?” Vala looked rattled. Whenever something upset Vala, it had to be big. Cam had seen her stand in the face of death and not even blink, so he knew something big was up.

“Not a clue. General Landry called said get my butt here pronto so here I am.”

They hurried to the conference room where Landry, Teal’c and some woman they didn’t know drank coffee. The woman was obviously from somewhere offworld as she looked more than a little out of place. She started when they opened the door.

General Landry nodded to them both. “Col. Mitchell, Vala, this is Laira. She’s from--”

Cam finished for him, “Edora, where General O’Neill was stranded for about a hundred days or so.” Cam had memorized every file when he had been given command of SG-1, every single file, just as Landry had.

Vala poured a cup of coffee for herself and one for Cam and they both sat around the big conference table. General Landry brought them up to speed on what had occurred. As he talked, Dr. Daniel Jackson joined them, hurrying to remove his coat and grab a cup of coffee. He caught the tail end of Landry’s explanation.

“Do we know who did this?” Jackson said as he took his seat.

“No clue yet. They said they want something but not what yet. They told Mrs.—Laira that we have something they want and they will return her son once they get it from us.”

“So what do we do?” Vala asked.

“The first thing to do is find out what they want, then where that thing is. We also need to find out who they are and where they are. Maybe we can rescue the boy without having to deal with the kidnappers,” Landry answered. This was his command and he would be the one to make the decisions, at least until Jack O’Neill arrived.

Daniel turned to Laira. “I am so sorry. I am sorry we have to ask you so many questions too. I know you must be tired but if we are to help, we need all the info that we can lay hands on.”

Laira smiled weakly at him.

They all began asking questions.

Had she seen the kidnappers? No.

How had she found out? A note had been placed on her kitchen table while she was out in her garden. She had no idea how they’d gotten in and out without her seeing them.

Was Jonathan a friendly boy? Would he have opened the door to strangers? Yes. He was very happy and friendly and would have opened the door to strangers since he believed everyone on their planet was a friend.

Had there been strangers on the planet recently? Several months ago, some traders came through but they didn’t stay long, just long enough to trade some medicines and agricultural seeds to her people in return for food and fresh water for their ship.

Did she remember their names? One of them called himself Hans Drof. He had been a dark haired, dark-eyed man who said little. He’d just gone about trading and then he was gone.

And that was all that Laira could tell them.

*

Jack arrived at about 5:30 am and Laira flew into his arms as he walked into the door. He looked a bit at a loss but put his arms around the sobbing woman.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he murmured into her hair as he held her.

“I didn’t want you to come back because you thought you had to.”

He had no answer for that because they both knew he’d have done just that. Jack may not have been a man to make commitments easily but he’d never have left his child behind. Never.

When took a seat at the table, he sat beside Laira and took her hand in his. “We’ll find him, Laira. Whatever it takes, we’ll find him.”

He was not sure how they’d do it but he was sure that if he had to move heaven and earth to do so, he would find his son and do his damnedest to return him to his mother safely.

*

Messages weren’t instantaneous out in space but it didn’t take long to get a message to Sam Carter aboard the George Hammond. She would return as soon as possible but they were a few weeks out at best unless she managed to get to a planet with a Stargate and gate back.

 

~~~~~


	3. Chapter Three

CHAPTER 3

Now that everyone but Sam was there, they still needed to come up with a plan. With no more information than they had, there was nothing to do but send Laira home and wait to hear from the men who had her son.

“I’m going with her.” Jack was adamant. He felt that he owed Laira that much, if not more. Besides he wanted to save his son, a son he’d never met. He still wasn’t sure whether to be angry with Laira now or to wait until they got young Jonathan back before he got mad at her.

He had thrown a few sets of clothing in his pack when he’d left Washington and that was all he needed now. He hefted his duffel over his shoulder and headed to the Gateroom. Laira followed wordlessly.

*

As soon as he walked through the gate on Edora, the feelings he’d had when he was here came back. The planet was one of the nicer planets he’d been on, much like Earth itself. The people were hardy and tough but they were kind too, making him feel at home as soon as he and Laira walked into the town square.

Paynan greeted Jack as if he’d only left yesterday and the other townspeople followed suit. He offered Jack a place to stay in his own home but Jack declined.

“I want to stay close in case the men who took young Jonathan come back. I want to keep Laira safe too.”

Paynan gave him a look that said he had something to say but he clamped his lips together and said nothing to either Jack or Laira.

Laira was willing to take him back to her bed but Jack insisted she bring him a quilt and pillow for the floor. He’d slept there for three months and he figured that he could sleep there for a little longer. He was too damned old for this though. The life of a General had made him soft. Either that or the floor was harder than it was before.

He dreamed of Charlie that night for the first time in a long time. Charlie smiled at him and turned away. Try as he might, Jack could not get him to turn around again.

He woke with a start, holding back a scream of frustration and pain.

“Are you all right?” Laira was there, concern obvious on her face. She still cared for him. “I’ll make us some tea.”

They sat at her table and drank strong dark tea as the sun rose. Laira began to talk about Jonathan.

“He looks like you, Jack. He’s stubborn, sweet, trusting… the things a little boy is. He knows you’re his father and he talks about meeting you all the time.” She was quiet for a few moments then she began to cry. “Jack, what if he never gets to meet you?”

“We will find him, Laira. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll find him and return him to you. I lost one son and I won’t lose another.”

She never saw the tears in his eyes as put his arms around her to comfort her. He meant it too, with everything that was in him. He had no intentions of losing this son.

*

Landry and the rest of the group sat around the table and talked.

“I am sure there aren’t any more Goa’uld out there,” Daniel stated. “Totally sure, well, mostly sure anyway.”

Teal’c nodded, agreeing with Daniel. “My brothers know nothing of any Goa’uld activity anywhere at all. There are still small pockets of Jaffa but they have no leader.”

Vala joined in, “I don’t think it’s Adria. She’d have come for me.”

Cam opened his hands palms up. “I got nothin’.”

*  
Samantha Carter read the message again. Jack’s son had been kidnapped. Odd that she didn’t feel jealous of the Edoran woman, but she didn’t. She felt more concern for Jack and for the poor little boy. He had to be about nine.

Someone else could captain the General George Hammond for a little while. The ship was dear to her mostly because it was General Hammond’s namesake but she was sure the General would approve.

It just so happened that they were near a friendly planet that happened to have a stargate. She was going to shuttle down and gate home. Captain Williams was gating back to take her place and heading back toward Earth in case they needed the General Hammond in their mission. It would take a couple of weeks for it to return and she needed to be there now.

In less than three hours, Carter walked through the gate in Colorado. All of SG-1, past and present, were in the gate room to greet her with the notable exception of Jack himself.

“He’s on Edora with Laira,” Teal’c said. “He felt he should be there in case the kidnappers contacted the boy’s mother with their demands.”

Carter nodded and they all settled in to wait until there was something for them to actually do.

 

~~~~~


	4. Chapter Four

CHAPTER 4

 

Jack woke in the middle of the night with the sense that something was wrong. He sat up and looked around. Everything seemed quiet. And dark. But still he felt something…

He got up and grabbed his gun and his flashlight from the pack beside his bed on the floor. He walked through the small house, checking windows and doors. Everything was locked up tight. No sign of anyone.

“What is it?” The voice behind him made him whirl around. He was glad he hadn’t shot first and asked questions later when he saw that Laira had gotten up too.

“You startled me! You’re lucky I didn’t shoot you. Did I wake you?” He finally said to her when his heart had slowed a bit. She didn’t seem alarmed at all, trusting him with her very life.

“No. I woke rather suddenly and couldn’t figure out what was bothering me. I thought I’d take a look around.”

“Same here. Maybe we’d better see if we’ve had company.”

He led her out onto the porch and there on the step was a disc. He’d seen the same sort of disc used by someone before but the knowledge of who was just outside his mind’s grasp.

“Do you have anything to play this on?”

“Jack, you know I don’t. Perhaps we should take it back to your planet so your friends can find out who has our son.”

Jack agreed and they arrived back at the SGC only minutes later.

*

“You do not know me but I have your son, Jonathan. I do not want to harm the boy but I will unless you will meet our demands.”

The disc held a voice file but no image. The voice was a bit garbled and hard to understand but it did speak a rather heavily accented English.

“There is an artifact that we require and you must obtain this artifact for us. Many years ago, the Goa’uld, Apophis, obtained the ability to become cloaked from the people known as the Nox. This is what we require of you.”

That was it. No instructions. No timeline.

They all looked at one another.

Jack broke the silence. “Do we even know what the Nox used to cloak themselves?”

Sam, of course, had an answer. An answer of sorts, anyway. “No. Even though Apophis found out how they did it, we never did. We were too young. I suspect we still are.”

Jack sighed. “And here I was sure you knew everything.”

“Not yet,” she smiled at him as she said it.

Daniel looked up. “Why can’t we ask the Nox?”

“I expect even if they do answer us, the answer would be no,” Jack answered, “but it never hurts to ask, does it?”

“Do we even have the device we used to contact them with?” Daniel didn’t remember where they had put it.

“It isn’t here.” Landry had made it his business to know what was still here at the SGC and what had been moved elsewhere though he wasn’t always privy to where such items were stored. “It hasn’t been here for a bit. The IOA makes sure that everything is hidden quickly and hidden well. They don’t want any incidents.”

“Would they tell us where it is?” Daniel asked, knowing the answer already.

“Not a chance. They don’t trust any of us. They’re a bunch of useless bureaucrats.” Landry realized he was mostly a bureaucrat too but he hoped the team didn’t consider him too useless.

“So are we back to square one?” Jack asked, not bothering to hide his frustration. The angrier he got, the more flip his comments became. “Imagine that. SG-1 can’t be trusted. Those idiots have no idea how many times we’ve saved their bacon.”

Landry was on the phone to Woolsey almost before anyone realized he was gone. Woolsey and the Atlantis team had come home, bringing the water city with them so Woolsey was back on the planet.

“That device is at Area 51. I think that I may be able to get it for you. Let me make some phone calls.”

Landry knew that Woolsey was a good man even if he was a stuffed shirt at times. He would do his best for Jack, even though he might not ever want anyone to know. Jack had saved his ass when they were in Atlantis and Woolsey was grateful.

Landry returned to the conference room. “We should hear more in a few minutes. In the meantime, we need to talk about a plan. You know that no one is going to authorize us to give in to their demands.”

“We know that but the kidnappers may not. We just need them to believe that we are going to find what they want. I’d really like to know who exactly it is that we’re dealing with, especially since there could be a new enemy out there somewhere.” It was a very long speech for Jack, an extremely long speech.

He stood. “I’m heading back to Edora with Laira. You know where we are if you need us.”

“I’m going to send a couple of Marines with you to guard the Stargate.”

Jack didn’t argue. It was a sign of how gravely worried he really was.

*

“So are there any ideas yet?” Sam asked the others, trying to get up to speed.

“Not really,” Daniel answered her. “It’s still only been a day or so since the boy disappeared and other than this video, nothing.”

“There’s something that bugs me but I can’t put my finger on it,” Mitchell said just as Vala returned from the restroom.

“Me too. There is something almost… familiar about it but I can’t quite see it,” she chimed in.

“Did anyone know Jack had a son?” Carter asked again, trying to get up to speed in this situation.

“I don’t even think Jack knew. He’d never been back to Edora though other teams dropped by on a fairly regular basis just to check on the people there,” Daniel answered. Jackson knew as much or more about the entire Stargate program than anyone else due mostly to his insatiable curiosity. Jackson simply had to know…everything, if possible.

Landry’s secretary stuck her head in the door. “Sir, Mr. Woolsey is on the phone for you.”

“I’ll take it here.”

Woolsey told him that the device was on it’s way to them from, well, he didn’t say where it was coming from, just that it would be there soon. He must have had some favors owed him in high places for things to move so quickly.

Again, they hunkered down to wait.

 

~~~~~


	5. Chapter Five

CHAPTER 5

A few hours later, Daniel Jackson was beside the emergency exit to the SGC with the device. This is where he and the Tollan leader, Omoc, had contacted the Nox several years before. He sent the message as he had been taught. Once the message was sent, there was little to do but wait. The Nox would answer or not on their own schedule.

The day had been long but no one seemed to be able to let go and head to bed. SG-1had their meal in the mess hall, bouncing theories and ideas off of one another with no one really knowing exactly what they were going to do.

Finally they had talked the problem to death without a solution. They were left with catching up on each other’s life.

“So Sam, how is it to command your own ship?” Cameron wanted to know.

“It’s easier than trying to command the Atlantis expedition. No Rodney and John to disobey every thing I say. Yeah, it is fun. Our mission was to take some medicines and seeds to a colony that had been decimated by the Ori.”

“Good crew?”

“The best,” then realizing what she said, backtracked and said, “best crew I’ve commanded anyway.”

Cam laughed. “Good save.”

“Daniel, I heard that you’ve been studying artifacts found in China?” Sam knew that Daniel was the foremost expert on extraterrestrial artifacts and that any government finding itself with unexplained items in their museums was lining up for his attention.

“Honestly I didn’t find anything there that seemed extraterrestrial but I did a couple of lectures at a few universities. That was quite fun.”

“The Chinese are still pressing for a bigger presence in the program,” Sam said.

“As bad as the economy is now, I am not sure how much of a Stargate program will be running at all for long,” Cameron added.

This last statement got Vala’s attention. “Do you think they’d make me leave Earth?”

“Maybe you should marry someone here, like people marry Americans to stay in the country,” Daniel teased her.

“Like you? Want to marry me?” She shot back.

Daniel didn’t answer her but no one missed the look he gave her. If Daniel would allow himself to love, Vala would be the one he’d love. They all seemed to know it except Daniel.

“I’ll marry you, Vala,” Cam said to lighten the moment. That he actually meant it no one knew but himself. He didn’t love her in that mad passionate insane way that the movies insisted existed but he did love her in his own way and knew that he could live with her in some state of harmony, maybe even a bit of passion.

Vala stuck her tongue out at him.

Teal’c said nothing, simply smiled as he watched.

*

Jack was restless. He had nothing to do and there weren’t any Simpsons reruns to watch either. Laira seemed busy doing things around the house, washing dishes, cooking, cleaning up things here and there. Finally he’d had all he could take.

“Were you ever going to tell me about him?”

Laira stopped in mid-step. “I didn’t know how. You seemed rather anxious to leave me so I sort of figured you wouldn’t want to be tied down here. Besides, I didn’t ask you to stay. I wanted a child, someone to love, and you gave him to me.”

“What kind of boy is he?”

He had already asked this but she knew he’d ask again and again so she told him more about Jonathan. “He is a sweet boy, loves the outdoors. He hunts and fishes with his brother. Garren adores him and treats him more like a son than a brother since he and Naytha have never had any children of their own.”

She fell silent, seeing her son in her mind’s eye. After a few seconds, she looked up at Jack. “He looks like you. Just like you.” A single tear fell down her cheek.

“We’ll get him back, Laira. I want to meet him. I have lots to catch up on. And to make up for.”

*

Hank Landry was talking on his phone line to the President of the United States.

“You know that we can’t trade an artifact for an alien child’s life.”

“Mr. President, the boy is human. He is Jack O’Neill’s son, a son he never knew he had.”

“We simply cannot deal with terrorists.”

“I agree, sir, but we do need to find out who we are dealing with. There could be someone new out there… or even someone old.”

The President was quiet for a moment. “You’re right there, Landry. Just don’t make a trade. And keep me updated.”

“You can be sure I’ll be doing that and thank you for your time, Mr. President.”

 

~~~~~


	6. Chapter Six

CHAPTER 6

Another disc showed up on Edora overnight. This time it was left on the porch at Garren’s home. Jack and Laira made another trip through the Stargate to Earth to play the new message.

“We are confident that you can find what we need. We want the device delivered to a planet of our choice through the Stargate. We will contact you again with the Stargate address for the planet in three days time. The boy is safe but if you do not give us what we ask for, you will not see him again.”

It was the same stilted voice as before.

“Is there no way we can catch them on Edora?” Jack’s patience was close to an end.

“I’ve been thinking about that, Jack,” Daniel sat down and explained. “I don’t think they are on Edora. I think they have someone there, a native Edoran, who doesn’t really know what he is doing, doesn’t know he is playing messenger to kidnappers. Maybe he thinks he is playing a joke on someone. You said yourself that Laira has kept this whole ordeal quiet so not many of the natives know about it at all.”

“But how?”

“I don’t know that yet. I’m working on it.”

*

The iris opened and the Stargate activated. The claxons blared. Landry ran into the control room with the rest of SG-1 on his heels.

“Close the iris, chief!”

“It won’t close, sir. Whoever opened it has control of the gate,” Walter answered.

“Security to the Gateroom!”

The area around the gate was filled with soldiers with weapons locked and ready, all pointing at the gate, when a most disarming woman walked through the gate. Appearances can be very deceiving. She was Lya of the Nox, a powerful being who looked like a sweet wood spirit. Perhaps that is exactly what she was.

Daniel was halfway into the gateroom, shouting, “Stand down, stand down!”

Rifles remained aimed until General Landry spoke from the control room. “Stand down, men.”

Daniel smiled at Lya. “I take it you got our message.”

She smiled sweetly and nodded. “You know that we cannot give you this technology though your race has grown quite a lot in the last few of your years. You are still not quite ready for that.”

Daniel had known her answer but they had to ask. “We weren’t expecting you to give it to us but we did want to talk to you about our situation.”

She simply nodded and motioned for him to lead her to where they would talk. General Landry was staring almost open mouthed at the Nox woman. He had read the reports but he hadn’t expected her to be quite so lovely.

“General Hank Landry, this is Lya of the Nox. I’m sure you’ve read the reports on the Nox.”

“Yes, but I never thought to meet another of the Ancient Races.’

“Pleased to know you, General Hank Landry.” She held out her hand and smiled at him. Daniel thought Landry would gladly follow her anywhere after she smiled.

Jack was the only who seemed skittish of Lya as she sat at the conference table. He liked the Nox though. Their simple charm had won him over and their complexities had shown him that not everything is at it seems.

They explained to Lya what had happened.

“You have a son? That is nice for you, O’Neill. You will be a good father.”

He wondered if she knew about Charlie. After all these years, he had come to accept that Charlie was gone and that there was no way he could go back and change what happened but not a day passed that he didn’t still grieve for his first son. He looked into Lya’s eyes and saw that she meant what she said. She knew.

“First we have to get him back.”

“Maybe we can help you with that,” she said as she smiled that mysterious smile that Jack was sure no one could read.

“Do you have a plan?”

“I believe we can come up with something.”

*

The team went out to dinner off base since there was little they could do until more information came in. They hit a local steakhouse, a favorite of the whole group. Jack stayed with Laira at the SGC. Cam and Daniel sat on either side of Vala while Teal’c sat with Samantha.

“Sam, you’ve been to Area 51. Are there any devices there that will render someone invisible?” Cam was eating with his usual gusto and talking with his mouth half full.

“Nope. I think the Nox do it with their minds somehow. I don’t think there is a device at all. That means that the persons who have little Jonathan are not Goa’uld. They would know how to do it. Apophis knew how so I assume other Goa’uld found out.”

“What are we going to do?” Vala asked.

“Figure out where and who they are and how to get Jack’s son back.”

“That’s why we called *you* back to Earth,” Cam said to Sam.

She actually blushed a little. She never thought of Cam in a romantic way but he was special to her nonetheless.

The talk turned to more mundane things.

Daniel asked Vala how she liked her apartment.

“It’s a lot better than living at the SGC. I might even get a job.”

“Doing what?” Daniel raised an eyebrow.

“Well, we know I can wait tables… or fight crime!”

“You could get a black leather suit and be a superhero,” Cam grinned. Vala in black leather was not an unpleasant vision.

“I already am a superhero! I dress in fatigues and go through the Stargate with my team to save the world two or three times a week.” She said it lightly but they all knew just how pleased Vala had been when she’d been made a real member of the team.

Sam hid a grin too. Vala had a point there. “And you’d rather wait tables?”

“Well, maybe not. Maybe I just want to meet some real men.”

Cam hooted. “We’re not real? You’ve seen all of me and you say you don’t know any real men?”

“Well, we don’t date.”

“Not for lack of trying on your part.”

Vala slapped his arm playfully. She tried hard not look at Daniel. Of all the men on Earth, the one she’d really want was Daniel.

Daniel was quiet, lost in thought about Vala. He cared more for her than he could even admit to himself. She was the most annoyingly amazing woman he’d ever met. She was as hard as nails outside but he suspected that down underneath that tough exterior was a frightened little girl, a frightened little girl that he could love if he let himself.

Teal’c said little as they ate, content to observe his teammates quietly. He knew things about them that they never would know. He smiled. Sometimes it was so hard to keep his secrets.

Samantha’s mind was spinning, trying to figure out what to do. She was desperate to save Jonathan O’Neill. She was not going to let Jack lose another son. Not this time. She had to come up with something.

~~~~~


	7. Chapter Seven

CHAPTER 7

Lya had agreed to see if her people could find out where young Jonathan was being held and by whom, among other things. No one had expected her to tell them the secret of how they achieved invisibility, but Daniel knew she’d help in any way she could.

She smiled as she seemingly floated up the ramp to the Stargate.

“It has been a delight to see you all again, my friends.” She did something with her hands and the Gate opened as it had before without the burst that usually occurred. Then she was gone and the Gate closed behind her.

*

Jack and Laira went back through the Stargate once again to Edora.

“I know you are getting tired of this back and forth, Laira, but I don’t know of any other way to get the info back here. Maybe we should take one of the guys with us to shuttle the messages back here. I imagine your people are wondering what is going on.”

Laira nodded. “Perhaps Teal’c would come. He seems to be your best friend. I remember what he went through to get you back before.” Teal’c had gated through the buried Stargate and almost lost his own life trying to rescue Jack.

“That would be fine. Teal’c would be glad of your cooking too, I’m sure. The big guy can put away some food.” He smiled at her.

One of the Marines sent to guard them went back through the gate and asked for Teal’c, who came without question, following Jack as he always did. Laira was right. There was little that Teal’c would refuse Jack.

Laira and Jack welcomed him into the house. Laira brought him quilts and pillows to make his bed. He nodded his thanks to the still pretty Edoran woman.

*

Sam was sitting on a stool in her lab, working on some ideas she had about some way to make the kidnappers think that that they had a device to cause invisibility, when General Landry strolled in casually.

“I’m not glad of the circumstances but I am glad to see you, Col. Carter.”

Sam smiled at him. “It’s always good to see you too, sir. I enjoy having my own ship. I have a wonderful crew but it’s always good to come home now and again.”

“He is only staying with Laira until she gets the boy back.”

“I know, sir.” She blushed. They all knew and probably had known for years how she and Jack felt about one another but this was the first time anyone came right out and said it. Even Cameron knew and General O’Neill was gone when he’d gotten here.

“Do you have any ideas yet?” Landry knew she was working on something already as he nodded toward her computer.

“I do but not anything solid enough to talk about yet.”

“Good enough. I’ll leave you to it then.” He nodded and went to his office to finish some paperwork before he turned in for the night.

*

Daniel lay in his bed and thought about who might have taken the boy. The only thing he could come up with was that perhaps it was what was left of the Lucian Alliance. Invisibility would be a huge advantage to men who stole and smuggled for a living. They hadn’t heard much from them in a long time. He would mention it tomorrow.

Sleep wouldn’t come. He’d stayed here at Stargate Command because it was much simpler. But the bed was lumpy and there was too much noise. He tossed and turned for what seemed like forever but was probably more like half an hour.

He got up and dressed then headed for the cafeteria. Maybe some milk would help him get to sleep.

Vala and Cam were eating Jell-O and drinking coffee when he walked in.

“Ah, there he is,” Vala greeted him as if they’d been expecting him.

“Were you waiting for me?”

“Well, of course we were. Join us.” Cam motioned for him to take a seat beside Vala.

“What are you two doing up?”

“Too much coffee today,” Vala breathed.

Daniel got himself a carton of milk and some blue Jell-O. “Me too, maybe.”

“So Jackson, who do *you* think has the boy?”

“If I were to make a guess, I’d guess some of the remaining members of the Lucian Alliance.”

Vala said nothing but looked troubled. “They are not the same as they were when I knew them but still, their tactics are the same. Either way, they are dangerous.”

“They kidnap kids?” Cam asked.

“Not usually but they have been known to hold people for ransom.”

“Not to mention murder,” Daniel said.

“So Jackson’s theory is feasible?” Cam asked Vala.

“Yes, I’d say definitely yes.”

Cam got up. “Well, children, I think I’ll turn in. You two can talk all night.”

“I think I’ll try to get to sleep again soon. Night, Mitchell,” Daniel nodded at him.

Vala got up in her overdramatic way and kissed Cam on the cheek. “Good night, hot stuff. Dream of me!”

Mitchell grinned and was gone.

Vala turned to Daniel. “Couldn’t sleep with me so nearby, huh?”

Daniel thought of several sarcastic things to say to her but for some reason, he decided not to say them. “Just too much coffee for me too, I expect.”

Vala yawned. “I think my coffee is about to wear off. I may head to bed too. Wanna come?”

Daniel found himself smiling at her. “I think I’ll pass tonight.”

An hour later, Daniel was finally drifting off to sleep. The last conscious thought he had was of Vala Mal Doran and her throaty laugh.

*

While all were asleep both on Earth and Edora on the third night, another message was delivered to Laira’s house. One of the village youths was very surprised when several flashlights as well as guns were aimed at him as soon as he put the small paper wrapped package on the front porch. A stranger had paid the boy to deliver the disc to Laira, someone he’d never seen before and no, he’d never done this before.

“You have had time to find the device for us. We expect to have it delivered to the gate address on the note.”

That was it.

Teal’c had come through the gate with both disc and note.

Daniel spoke. “The planet is a small habitable planet that was abandoned when the Goa’uld fell. It is the perfect place to hold the child.”

“Do you think that is really where he is?” Landry asked.

“Probably not yet but I’m sure that’s where they plan to ambush us when we come to give them their device. Then they’ll have SG-1’s lives to bargain with,” Daniel answered.

 

~~~~


	8. Chapter Eight

CHAPTER 8

“Are we ready?” Vala looked around at her companions.

“Must you always be so cheerful?” Daniel asked, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“Yes, I must.”

They were all ready to head through the Stargate to planet P23238. It seemed to be just another day at the office but this was a very different mission. A life hung in the balance, the life of one small boy.

“Dial up the Gate, Chief,” General Landry ordered as he had countless times before. With a loud whoosh, the Stargate opened and was ready for the team to step through.

Planet P23238 was a temperate planet and looked quite like Earth. They stepped out into a clearing covered with green grass. The area was surrounded by trees much like oaks, and after the disturbance of the gate opening ended, they could hear birds and wildlife in the area around the Gate.

“Nice planet. Why couldn’t we have come here instead of some of the others we’ve visited,” Vala commented.

“Well, some of us have been here at some time because it was charted and described but it must have been one of the other teams, because I certainly don’t remember this one. ” Daniel answered.

They all started looking around, trying to find something that would tell them where to leave the ‘device’ that they didn’t have. They all fanned out from the gate, looking for something, anything.

Vala shouted, “I’ve found something.”

They all headed toward her. She pointed to a rock on the ground with some writing on it. She poked it with her toe until she was convinced that it wouldn’t explode or bite.

Carter picked it up. It had another Stargate address written on it. “Well, it looks as if they’re taking no chances. They must mean for us to deliver the device to this address.”

“Won’t they be surprised that we have nothing?” Daniel said with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“I wouldn’t quite say that,” Sam said. “I have some ideas.”

“I say we take one more sweep of the area then hit the SGC and formulate that plan,” Cam stated. The rest agreed and they headed home.

*

Jack was waiting when they got back to Earth.

“Got us another disc,” he announced at the meeting after they got back.

He stuck the disc into the player and the same voice began to speak again.

“Colonel Carter and Colonel Mitchell will bring the device we seek to the gate address on the rock that you received today. You will be met by one of our representatives, who will take the device and give you a gate address. The boy will be there waiting for you.”

Jack sighed. “This is not how I’d hoped this would go.”

Sam said, “I’ve got a plan… well, more than one plan.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Cam slammed the table. No one seemed surprised. They were used to Cam’s enthusiastic outbursts.

“You gonna tell us about it?” Jack asked her.

“Well, first of all, we have to fool them into thinking that they have the device. Then we have to actually be invisible in order to get to Jonathan and take him from them.”

“But how?” Landry asked at the same time Jack said, “Is that all?”

“Well, we fool them with the out of phase device. I just have to work out the details.”

“Then you need to get to your lab and get us out of your hair.” Landry shooed her away to get to work.

*

Vala and Cam were playing cards in the cafeteria. Cam lost his third hand.

“Are you cheating?” Cam threw down his cards.

“What do you think?” She grinned. “And I believe you owe me a dollar and twenty-four cents.”

Cam reached in his pocket and pulled out some wrinkled dollars and change. He threw a dollar and a quarter on the table. “Keep the change.”

He started to walk away but Vala jumped up. “Don’t go away mad! I’ll buy you some Jell-O. Or even a pudding. Maybe a chocolate one!”

Cam shook his head and sat back down. Vala ran up to the counter and brought back two chocolate puddings. Cam took his from her and began to eat it slowly, licking the spoon. He smiled as he ate. Vala ate hers as quickly as she could, licking her lips as she finished.

“We could go out to dinner. I still have room for a steak.”

Cam wondered how she stayed as thin as she was. She ate like a horse. He enjoyed watching her eat though. They went to a chain steakhouse where the food was plentiful and quite good. She ordered a rather large steak with salad and a potato. She ordered cheesecake for dessert.

Cam found himself telling her stories about his parents as they ate. They had liked her quite a lot when they’d met her and she’d liked them too. She had especially loved his mother’s pies. They hadn’t even seemed upset when Vala had announced they were lovers and dropped hints about their sex life. He, on the other hand, had been mortified.

As if on cue, she said, “This cheesecake is not nearly as good as your mom’s pie.”

“Not many people make pies as good as Mom’s.”

“Perhaps I should marry you so I can get pie more often.”

“You’d marry me for pie?”

“Well, I’m technically still married. But I’m not sure I’ll ever see him again. But I’d certainly shack up with you for pie.”

It was, oddly enough, in that moment that Cam knew he wanted her. He didn’t kid himself that it was real love but he certainly cared for her. He bit his tongue and decided to say nothing.

“So what shall we do now? Go back to my apartment for some mad passionate sex?” She winked wickedly at him.

Cam almost choked and even worse, he almost said yes.

“I expect we should get back to the base. They’ll be lost without us.”

He put his arm around her as they walked out of the restaurant and she kissed his cheek. He felt the kiss all the way to his toes.

 

~~~~~


	9. Chapter Nine

CHAPTER 9

“Bill, we have to make it look as if we are invisible then visible. They simply have to find a way,” Sam told Dr. Lee, whom she’d worked with many times before.

“It seems that you simply use the same type of variation you and Mitchell used. Just no Ori this time.”

“Well, we certainly hope there aren’t any. Our thought is that it is the Lucian Alliance but since we managed to kill most of their leadership, we have no real idea who we are dealing with.”

“How much time do we have?”

“I don’t know. Not much, I think.”

*

Teal’c sat with Jack in the cafeteria.

“The Marines have been watching the town on Edora. They saw someone go through the Gate right after the messenger left town to come to Laira’s house. He was human and dressed in black. Not much more than that is known.”

“We have to find out where they are hiding. It’s the only way we’ll find the boy.”

“Lya will help us. We have made a plan and the Nox are hovering over Edora. They are monitoring the gate. They will not harm any being. But they will help save Jonathan.”

“Do the others know this?”

“Not yet. Landry knows and Daniel but not everyone else. We will tell them when they need to know. Samantha has enough on her mind without worrying about this part too. Cam and Vala we need for their knowledge of the Lucian Alliance.”

*

Sam was tired, so tired that her eyes hurt. She stood up and rubbed her face. “Bill, I think that this will work. We can convince them that this is the Nox device. All we have to do is go out of phase with one of them. I can put some sort of kill switch so they won’t have it for long, just long enough to get Jonathan back.”

Bill lit up like a light bulb. “A sting?”

“Yeah, a sting. We just have to hope it works. I am going to grab some food and coffee. I am dead on my feet. You have to be worn out too.” She smiled and waited for Bill to head out with her.

*

Daniel heard rather than saw Cam and Vala come in. Cam was singing some old rock and roll song from the 70’s and Vala was laughing at him. He felt a momentary stab of jealousy but he quickly shoved it to the back of his mind. He didn’t care what Vala did. She was no concern of his.

The next thing he knew, she and Cam were standing in his office door. “Want to have some coffee with us, Jackson?” Cam asked.

He didn’t but that didn’t stop him. “Sure. I need a break anyway.” He switched the light off and closed his laptop, following Cam and Vala.

Jack and Teal’c were still sitting at their table, drinking coffee and eating Jell-O.

“Hi! Join us. We don’t have cake but we do have Jell-O and the coffee is fresh,” Jack gestured to the trio who just entered. “Laira is sleeping in my old bunk and Sam is locked in her lab with Bill so Teal’c and I are partying with caffeine and sugar-free goo which is so not cake.”

“Shouldn’t we be doing something?” Daniel asked as he looked around at the others.

“What is there to do but wait?” Jack asked. “We have to wait until Sam is ready to tell us what we’re going to do.”

Cam joined in. “And we’ll make it work just by the skin of our teeth like we always do.”

“God, I hope so.” Jack gave away how upset he really was with this small statement. Daniel and Teal’c knew him well enough to know how worried he was.

Samantha came into the room. “I think that what Bill and I have come up with will work. We are going to make some modifications in the out of phase device and we hope to pass it off to them as an invisibility device. All the while, the Nox will be extracting Jonathan from where ever he is being held.”

“How do we know where he is?” Jack asked.

“We don’t but hopefully we will by then.”

“How soon will it be ready?” Vala asked this time.

“Hopefully by morning. I need some coffee and something to eat then I’ll head back to work.”

Jack got up and poured her a cup from the huge urn on the counter. “Here you go.” He gave her his seat and pulled another chair up to the table for himself.

~~~~~


	10. Chapter Ten

CHAPTER 10

“All right. Is everything ready?” Landry was more nervous than anyone had ever seen him. The Ori plague hadn’t seemed to rattle him as much as this mission. The life of one small boy was at stake and the responsibility was his to see that the outcome was good.

Sam had checked and rechecked the machine. It should do what they needed it to do. They just needed the kidnappers to believe that they could become invisible as the Nox did. They had rigged the out of phase machine to work a few times, not more than two or three at the most, but it would only work if the kidnappers were not too curious. If they got too curious, they might notice that they were not actually invisible. It was a chance they had to take.

Samantha, Daniel, Vala and Cam would go on the mission. Teal’c and Jack would be with the Nox awaiting news from SG-1 and General Landry would wait on pins and needles with Walter at SGC.

*

They went through the Gate to the address provided to them a few days before. It was another planet with lots of trees and meadows, at least where the Stargate was. Guns were aimed and each person was scanning the area ahead for danger. Cam carried the pack with the machine as well as his weapon.

“Looks clear,” Sam called out and they all gathered together in front of the gate to wait for whoever or whatever was sent to meet them and pick up the ‘Nox device’ from them. They all still worried that the kidnappers had no intentions of ever turning the child over or even in the worst case scenario, the child could already be dead. They all worried but no one said anything out loud, as if to speak it might make it come true.

After about an hour, the Stargate began to whir and turn, opening with a loud whoosh as a lone figure dressed completely in black strolled through the gate. He wore a black mask and hat and held a gun.

“Hello, SG-1.” It was the same voice as the one on discs. “Have you brought me what I asked for?”

Sam stepped up. “We have but we will need to know that the boy is well first.”

“I’m afraid I cannot do that, Col. Carter. You know that was not part of our agreement.”

Cam couldn’t stop himself. “We didn’t agree to anything.”

“By coming here, you have agreed to my terms.”

Daniel recognized that the person spoke through a voice synthesizer much like the one Vala had used when she donned the Superwarrior suit the first time he’d met her. There was no way to know who or what was inside that mask.

“We just want Jonathan back,” Daniel chimed in.

“Then you will give me what I want.”

Cam was angry, too angry to say anything else and given a choice, he’d have shot the bastard right where he stood. Instead he took a step back and gritted his teeth. Sam stepped forward and they began to remove the pack from his back.

“Where do you want it?”

“I must see that it works.”

The device came with its own power source this time so they didn’t have to try to find one for it. Sam also carried a hidden remote that could make it work without anyone knowing so it appeared to be functional.

Cam set the box on the ground. “Well, here it is.”

“I need to see it work.”

Sam fiddled with some buttons and suddenly she was gone. She was not invisible but rather out of phase. She could see everyone but they couldn’t see her. The man reached out to touch the space where she was and swiped through thin air. He nodded. This is what he wanted.

“You may become visible now.”

Sam did so. Quicker than anyone would have thought possible, their opponent dialed the Gate, grabbed the device and Sam along with it. He shot through the Gate as soon as it opened and Daniel rushed to read the DHD as the Gate closed.

“Did you get it?” Cam asked, making a futile gesture toward the closed Stargate.

“Yes, I did but I’m not sure what to make of it.”

“Why?”

“It’s Harry Maybourne’s planet.” Daniel looked puzzled.

“Well, dial it up and let’s go get her.” Cam didn’t see any sense in wasting time.

“Why not?” Vala said dryly.

Daniel dialed and they all went through to Maybourne’s little kingdom. His people were there as they came through the Gate with their crossbows loaded and ready until they saw Daniel Jackson.

“Welcome, SG-1,” they were greeted by one of Maybourne’s wives.

“Has your gate been opened recently?” Daniel asked quickly.

“Yes, it has but by the time we got here, it was closed and we saw no one.” One of the burly townsmen answered.

“Did you hear it close and open more than once?” Daniel said.

The man nodded. Daniel’s face fell. That meant they had no way of tracking her and that she wasn’t on this planet.

Harry came strolling into the clearing. “Hello, my friends. Is Jack not with you?” He looked at Vala and smiled. “And who is this gorgeous woman?”

“Knock it off, Harry.” Daniel was in no mood for Harry’s sense of humor. “Someone has kidnapped Sam and Jack’s son and we traced them to here but now we’re at a dead end.”

“Jack and Sam’s son?” Harry asked, incredulous.

“No. The boy belongs to a woman from a planet where Jack was stranded for over three months several years ago. Someone has kidnapped him and then they got Sam while supposedly picking up the ransom.”

“And you need to know where they went?” He raised a brow.

Cam nodded. He’d never met Maybourne but he’d sure read a lot about the scoundrel.

“I may be able to point you to such a device.”

Harry knew more secrets than anyone Daniel knew of. He had worked for the NID and was the shadiest of its shady operatives. It was only after he had committed treason and been sent to prison for life that he and Jack had formed a kind of friendship, if that was the right word. Their relationship was actually a symbiotic one based on what each could do for the other. So no one was surprised when Daniel asked him the obvious question. “What’s your price?”

“We’ll get to that later. I’ll help you now.” He turned to one of his subjects and told them he’d be back as soon as possible and that they were to listen to his eldest wife as if she were Harry himself. He turned to Daniel and grinned. “I’m ready. Dial Earth.”

 

~~~~~


	11. Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER 11

When word got to Jack about what had happened to Samantha, his only comment was “They what? How the hell could they lose Carter?”

The Nox could do things Jack had never seen anyone else do but even they could not conjure young Jonathan out of thin air and now this.

“Can you get me back home? I… I need to be there.”

Lya nodded and together with Teal’c, they walked to the Gate. She waved her hand and the Stargate opened.

“We will keep monitoring the area, O’Neill. We will help you find your loved ones.” She smiled her mysterious smiled and nodded to him to go before he had a chance to open his mouth.

Landry, SG-1 and Maybourne were waiting in the Gateroom when they got back to Cheyenne Mountain.

“How the hell did you lose Carter?” He shouted at Col. Mitchell as soon he was through.

“We didn’t exactly lose her. They took her.”

“And what the hell is Harry Maybourne doing here?” Jack yelled at Landry.

“Hi, Jack.” Harry grinned and made a small wave. Jack moved toward him. Harry held up a hand. “Now, Jack, I’ve come to help find Carter.”

“In exchange for what?”

“I haven’t decided yet. A tractor and some fuel would be nice for my farmers.”

Jack just growled and stepped toward Maybourne.

Landry stepped in. “Harry is here to help us find a device that he says exists in Area 51 that will tell us where they took Sam by tracing the addresses in the DHD from where Sam was abducted.”

“Area 51 was shut down a couple of years ago. Budget cuts.” Jack stated almost petulantly.

“So was Cheyenne Mountain but we’re still here. You know Area 51 is still operating.” Landry was being conciliatory. “Sir,” he added, remembering that Jack was actually his superior.

“We’ll find them, Jack,” Daniel spoke. “We always do.”

“Daniel Jackson is right, General O’Neill,” Teal’c reminded him. “We do indeed always find them.”

*

Sam Carter looked around the small room they’d placed her in. It was dark and windowless. They’d taken her weapon but she still had her pack. She took out her flashlight and looked around. Nothing but boxes and crates. It appeared to be some sort of storeroom.

She’d seen little of the planet when they’d gotten here. They made a jump to what appeared to be Harry Maybourne’s planet first then here. The temperature was warm, like a summer day on earth but that was about all she knew since they’d blindfolded her when they made their unexplained pit stop.

She wondered if this was where they held the child.

“Hello?” She called out and stopped dead in her tracks.

“Who are you?” It was a little boy’s voice from the other side of the wall.

“My name is Samantha. Are you Jonathan?”

“Yes. Where is my mama?”

“She is safe at home and she is waiting for you.”

“The men… they said they’d hurt her if I cried but they need not have worried. I am a big boy and big boys don’t cry.”

“You’re very brave.”

“My mama said I take after my Papa. His name is Jack O’Neill and he is very brave. She told me how to find him through the Stargate if anything ever happened to her. She even gave me a little machine with some numbers to push so Papa’s friends would know it’s me.”

“I know your Papa and he is very brave. He and his friends are trying to find us right now.”

“I wish they’d hurry. Mama will be crying and I don’t like it when Mama cries.”

“Maybe we can watch out for one another until your Papa gets here to help us.”

“I suppose so. It’s about time for food. It isn’t very good sometimes but I eat it anyway.”

“That’s a good idea. You remind me of your papa.”

“I hear them coming. We should be quiet.”

“Yes,” Sam whispered back. Jonathan was very intelligent and very brave for one so young. He was indeed a lot like Jack. That made her smile a small smile.

*

Harry Maybourne, Daniel, Cam and Vala were on their way to Area 51 in a small nondescript plane.

The clock was ticking.

“Tell me, Mr. Maybourne, how did you get your own planet?” Vala was speaking in her low, seductive Vala voice. Daniel just shook his head.

“Well, the Tok’ra put me on a planet, the natives made me king and the rest is history, as they say.”

“Do you have a queen?”

“Nope. I have several wives but I haven’t found the need to make any of them queen. It would just sow the seeds of discontent.”

“But a queen could rule in your stead.”

“Until today, I’ve always been there. They’ll do fine without me.”

Vala gave up with a ‘humphhh’ and Cam grinned at Daniel. “Remember when you were a Goa’uld, Vala. That didn’t work out so well for you,” Cam reminded her.

“It did until they found out that I wasn’t a god! Whose fault was that?” She tapped Daniel’s chest.

“Yours!” Both men said at once.

They were shown into the compound by someone that Maybourne obviously knew. Without a word, he led them through several corridors and locked doors to a small room. Daniel had been here before with Samantha, hunting for Goa’uld hand devices but the place was new to the rest of SG-1.

Maybourne rifled through several drawers and looked on several shelves until he found what he seemed to be looking for. It looked quite like a calculator or cell phone but the characters on the face were not numbers nor were they in English.

“Recognize the writing?” He turned to Daniel.

“Ancient.”

“Can you read it?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

“Well, all you have to do is plug it into the DHD and it will tell you the last seven places the Gate has dialed.”

“Well, we’d better check your Gate before it gets used too much then. Let’s go.” Cam had seen enough. He was ready to get Samantha and the little boy back.

They were back at the SGC before most people knew they’d been gone.

*

“Are you still there?” The voice was low but Sam heard it just the same.

“I’m still here.”

“Did you get food?”

Sam smiled. “Yes. Even got some cake. Did you?”

“It wasn’t as good as Mama’s but it was good.”

“Your father loves cake better than anything.”

“Me too.” She could tell he was smiling as he said it.

“Time to get some rest. My friends will be here soon to take us home.”

“Goodnight, Samantha.”

“Sleep well, Jonathan O’Neill, sleep well."

~~~~


	12. Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER 12

SG-1 hastened back to Maybourne’s planet with their treasure. As soon as the Gate closed, Daniel and Cam hooked the little machine up to the DHD. It hummed and buzzed and displayed several sets of symbols, only a few of them readily known to Daniel. There was earth, the planet where Sam had been kidnapped, and several unknowns.

“So what do we do? Randomly go to each planet? They could be laying in ambush for us.” Cam was practical but it was obvious to everyone he was willing to go in blind to rescue his teammate and friend, not to mention the child, who had to be awfully frightened by now.

“I think we head back to earth to find out what Landry and Jack want us to do then go find our people,” Daniel said. He feared for Sam and the child too but he also feared for Jack. Jack was strong but he wasn’t sure he could lose another son and Sam too.

*

Jack and Laira were sitting at her kitchen table drinking tea laced with that potent homebrewed concoction that Paynan had shared with Jack when he was there years before. It was a bit less biting when sipped in tea.

“I’m sorry I never came back. I meant to.” Jack felt guilty but still, he’d been so happy to go home too.

Laira laid her hand over his. “I never asked you to stay. If they’d never come for you, we might have been happy together, but since they did, I knew you’d always be thinking of your team and Earth.”

“I just wish you’d told me about Jonathan.”

“I didn’t want him to be the reason you stayed either. I knew that someday I’d tell you but I didn’t want you to stay with us out of obligation. This way, you can never hold a grudge toward him over what might have been.”

Jack didn’t have an answer so Laira continued.

“Besides, it’s not me that you love. You love Samantha. And she loves you too. Anyone can see that.”

Jack guffawed. “Are you sure about that?” He knew Sam cared for him but he wasn’t sure it was love. He knew he loved her.

“Of course I am but you are bound to your duty and I suspect she is too.”

Jack didn’t know what to say so he nodded.

“Don’t wait too long, Jack. Don’t wait too long.” She patted his hand and got up. “More tea?”

He nodded and she poured them both another cup. And they waited.

*

“Samantha?”

Jonathan’s voice woke her.

“Yeah. I’m still here.”

“Good morning. He’ll bring food soon and sometimes he takes me out for a walk.”

“Do you know what they look like?”

“No. He wears a cap that covers his face. But he lets me play with some puppies sometimes. There are four puppies and they love to run and play.”

Sam smiled. At least no one was mean to the boy. It actually sounded as if the kidnapper was going out of his way to be nice to him. How odd.

Sam didn’t expect that he’d let her out to frolic or play though. She pretty much expected her food put through the slot and the chamber pot emptied once in awhile.

She was surprised though. A masked man came into her room. “Time to go to the bathroom and stretch those legs, Col Carter.” He was the same man who had taken her originally. “And don’t try to run away. There’s nowhere to go. The gate is guarded.”

She nodded and stumbled out into the sunlight.

And saw Jonathan O’Neill.

He was a tiny replica of his father. He was tall for his age and a bit on the slender side. His eyes were as dark as night, just like Jack’s. The smile he gave her when he saw her was all Jack too. Her heart melted.

“Sam!” He turned to his captors. “Can I walk with Sam today?”

The man nodded and he held his hand to her. She smiled and took it.

They walked around a forest path and then went to a barn. Four tan puppies came bounding out to Jonathan and he fell to the ground giggling, then scooping each one up and kissing its wet little nose. The puppies were as happy as he was. He handed Sam one of the wiggly bundles and she took it, smiling back at him.

“Don’t let it wet you. They’re too little to know better.” Jonathan spoke as if he had been tending puppies for years. Perhaps he had at home though she didn’t remember there being dogs on Edora.

They were allowed to play until the pups became tired, then Sam and Jonathan were led away as another man herded the puppies back to their mother in the barn. The other man was masked too. Perhaps he was the one who had joined them on the second place they gated to.

Sam thought this was a very odd way to treat captives but she wasn’t going to argue.

*

Landry sat in the conference room with SG-1, including Teal’c. Jack had left him there in his stead since he was still staying with Laira on Edora.

“You don’t usually consult me before running off to chase information.” Hank Landry raised an eyebrow at them. “Why choose now to start?”

“This is Sam. And a child. We can’t take any chances,” Daniel spoke up with Cam and Vala nodding their agreement. For some reason they didn’t quite get, Harry Maybourne had come back with them too.

“So go to the Stargate addresses. We’ll send some extra Marines with you for backup. Go in armed and ready.”

Within half an hour, they were ready to go. Six Marines were in their party as protection. The planet they went to from Harry’s was bitterly cold but not uninhabitable. They explored for about an hour before Cam called it off. Daniel hooked their little machine up to the Gate and it showed only one visit besides theirs, one from and back to Harry’s planet.

They returned to Harry’s planet and checked that Gate again. It had another address. Daniel thought that odd but said nothing. Didn’t Harry guard the Gate at all times? He had thought so but maybe not.

Cam stood beside him and spoke in a low voice. “Something odd is going on here and I don’t like it.”

“Me either but I don’t see what choice we have,” Daniel said as he dialed the next Stargate address.

~~~~~


	13. Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER 13

The world that SG-1 gated to next was much like their own, which is exactly as they expected. They were greeted this time by several men armed with bows but armed nonetheless.

“Who are you?” The tall man who appeared to be the leader asked in a language that was a mixture of Ancient and a Goa’uld dialect.

Daniel understood him well enough and answered him. “We come in peace. We are searching for one of our own and a small boy and we used a machine that told us that someone had dialed to this Gate from the last world we know they were on.”

The man was human, much like humans of earth, if not exactly. He wore clothing that appeared to be similar to Native American dress of the nineteenth century and the weapons that they all carried were similar to that time period on Earth also.

“We know nothing of strangers coming through the Gate until you came through. We post guards all the time.”

Daniel nodded and thanked them. He had no reason to disbelieve the man. He looked at Cam.

“Where to?”

Cam shrugged.

“Home. But we should check this Stargate too just to be on the safe side.”

Daniel hooked up his little machine and got yet another address. He jotted it down then dialed home.

*

“Someone has us chasing our tails, General Landry. They have somehow manipulated the gates to show stops all over the place yet we aren’t finding any trace of Sam or Jonathan.” Cam slammed his gear down and sat down himself.

Cam was frustrated and angry now. He had, up to now, been mostly calm about the whole thing, confident that they’d find them, but now he was beginning to wonder what was going on.

“Any news from the Nox?” Daniel asked.

“No. Nothing at all since Jack returned from their planet and went to Edora.” Landry was becoming as frustrated as Cameron.

“So what do we do now?” Vala asked, a question directed at them all. “I don’t think this is the Lucian Alliance. They would be more serious and perhaps more deadly.”

Landry sighed. “Get some food and some rest and you can start again tomorrow.”

*

As tired as they all were, dinner should have been subdued but it wasn’t. Cam started telling war stories and soon all three of them were laughing as they ate. Vala recounted her first meeting with Daniel, much to his annoyance and Cam’s glee.

“Did she really do all those things?”

“You know her as well as I do. At least she didn’t handcuff me naked to a bed,” Daniel countered with a smirk.

“There is that!” Vala laughed and smacked Cam on the arm.

The banter continued all through the meal and beyond as they all walked back to their living quarters. Daniel’s was first and he ducked into his small home away from home. Cam and Vala continued to her door. Vala kissed Cam’s cheek.

“Goodnight, Cameron.”

He caught her arm as she turned to open the door and pulled her close. He kissed her lips, a quick hungry kiss, then he let her go.

She looked as if she might hit him for second then she touched her lips with her fingertips. “What was that for?”

Cam actually blushed. “It, um, seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Silly man,” she whispered as she put her hand up to his cheek. The without another word, she turned and went into her room.

Cam wandered back to his own room, wondering if it were possible for a man to kick his own ass. He had to work with her, for God’s sake. Why in the world did he do that?

But he knew the answer. Lately, she had been on his mind day and night. Maybe he just needed to get laid. That had to be it. Life here at the SGC wasn’t too conducive to dating, much less actually having sex with someone off base.

He got up and headed for the cafeteria and the all night coffee urn.

*

It was evening on the planet where Sam and Jonathan were residing. After their outing, their captor had put them in together, perhaps out of sympathy for the small boy all alone without his mother.

Sam didn’t think he seemed to be very much like any kidnapper she’d ever run across. He was almost kind to her and she’d not seen any mistreatment of the boy though he had commented that the food was sometimes pretty bad. She suspected that had more to do with the cook’s skills than any real cruelty.

Something just didn’t add up, she thought as she covered Jonathan O’Neill in the thin blanket from her pack and lay down beside him to sleep.

*

Vala dreamed of Daniel Jackson.

He was telling her that he didn’t dare love her for fear she’d hurt him and that she didn’t deserve his love. She felt anger and shame burn through her at his words. Didn’t he understand how much he meant to her?

She woke crying.

She sat up and wiped her eyes. It was only a little past midnight. This was going to be a long damned night.

She got up and dressed and headed for the cafeteria and some coffee.

Cam was there too. He didn’t look much better than she did.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” He asked, the kiss of a few hours before still burned into his loins.

“Slept but had awful dreams. I decided even your company was better than that.”

“Why thanks, ma’am. We aim to please.” He got up and poured her a cup of coffee. “Here ya go, little lady.”

She smiled gratefully. At least he didn’t seem to take things between them seriously.

Did he?

*

Daniel Jackson was thinking about their day and wondering who had taken Samantha and Jack’s son and what they really wanted. Whoever they were, he hoped they didn’t harm either of them. They’d find no place in the universe to hide from Jack O’Neill. No place at all.

 

~~~~~


	14. Chapter Fourteen

CHAPTER 14

Cam felt like he’d been in bed about ten minutes when his alarm woke him. He sat up and rubbed his face. He should never have left his room last night. He was getting too old for this crap.

He got up, grabbed clean clothes and headed to the shower. They may have their own little rooms here but they still had communal showers like any military barracks. He stood under the hot water until he felt like a human, or nearly like one again then dressed and headed to the control room.

Walter was at work today. Sometimes he wondered if Walter ever slept.

“What’s happenin’, Walter?”

“Pretty quiet so far, sir. Nothing in or out yet.”

“Landry been in?”

“He’s in his office.”

“I’m going to grab some food and will be back soon. Jackson and Vala been around?”

“Dr. Jackson is in his office but Vala hasn’t been up here.”

Cam thought about last night. What the hell had gotten into him? How would they work together if she did sleep with him? Did he care?

He grabbed a sandwich and some coffee and headed to the briefing room. Time to find Samantha and Jonathan. Maybe.

Daniel was already sitting at the table reading something in a folder. He looked up when Cam walked in.

”Good morning. I’ve been thinking about how the Gate keeps looping back and forth without us finding them and I think whoever they are, they have some way of making the Stargates think they dialed other Gates that they, in fact, did not dial.”

“That makes sense but how?”

“That’s the part I don’t know but I’m guessing they have some sort of electronic scrambler. That way we can’t follow them.”

“That makes hunting them impossible then, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

Cam sighed. “I hate this doing nothing crap. I need something to shoot at or blow up.”

“You sound like Jack.”

Landry came in at that time. “Good morning, gentlemen. Anything new?”

“Jackson here thinks we’re being led on a wild goose chase.”

Landry looked at Dr. Jackson, who explained again what he’d just said to Col. Mitchell.

“That means someone is doing this for… what reason? It can’t be the device they asked for, can it?”

“It wouldn’t seem so,” Daniel answered, rubbing his chin in thought.

Vala made her usual quiet entrance. “How are all you lovely men this morning?”

Other than glancing at her as she came in, they paid her little attention.

“So what can the reason be?” Landry asked Daniel.

“I think that when we find that answer, we’ll know where they are.”

“I think we simply need to find them. Period. Why doesn’t matter at all,” Cam broke in.

Vala sat down beside Daniel. “Where is Harry Maybourne?”

“He went back home last night,” Landry answered her. “The last thing any of us need is that little bastard sneaking around.”

Both Daniel and Cameron nodded agreement to that statement. Maybourne might seem harmless now but he’d not always been that way, not by a long shot. When he’d worked for the NID, he’d been deadly.

“So what do we do now?” Vala asked.

“Start at the beginning. We go back to Edora and work our way out from there. The answer is somewhere,” Daniel answered her.

“I agree. General Landry?” Cameron asked. Landry simply nodded.

They all grabbed their gear and were ready to go in minutes.

*

Jack and Laira met them as they walked up the road to Laira’s house.

“Any news?”

“Let’s go inside,” Daniel said and immediately saw the panic on Laira’s face. “No, nothing has happened but we have a theory. We just wanted to tell you what we are thinking.”

Laira heated water for tea as they sat around her table.

“We have followed all the instructions and so far, they have either been a step ahead of us or simply weren’t where they said they’d be. The device they asked for doesn’t seem so important to them either. There’s just something not right about this whole thing but I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Any word from the Nox?” Jack asked.

“Nothing yet. I don’t really expect to hear from them, to be honest. You know they will have us do things for ourselves if possible,” Daniel answered.

“So what was the point of this? To torture me?” Jack’s eyes were dark with anger.

“Maybe to get your attention?” Mitchell countered. “If they wanted to torture you, they’d send evidence that they’ve hurt the boy or Carter.”

“Laira, do all of the people of this village know that Jonathan is Jack’s son?” Daniel asked as Vala rose to help Laira with tea and some muffins she had baked that morning for breakfast.

“Most do. They remember the season he stayed with us and they remember when my son was born. People might not say much to my face but they all know what is going on.”

“Is it possible that one of them has something against you or Jack? Maybe they all aren’t quite as innocent as they seem.” Mitchell said.

Laira answered. “I am sure there are people who do not like me, thought I was disloyal to my dead husband when Jack stayed with me but what would they gain?”

“Maybe they didn’t gain anything but maybe they did help whoever has Jonathan and Carter,” Daniel added.

Jack looked at them all. “So are we back at square one?”

Teal’c had said nothing through all of this. “It would seem we are dealing with someone who is a friend rather than a foe then.”

“Then why take Jonathan?” Jack was becoming frustrated with the team and the whole idea that this was done by someone other than an enemy.

“Like Daniel said, they just seem to want our attention or more importantly, Jack’s attention,” Cameron repeated Daniel’s words.

“Friend or foe, I think I’ll just shoot them when we get Sam and Jonathan back,” Jack said as he grabbed his weapons off the kitchen table and headed out the front door. “I’m going for a walk.”

Teal’c rose and followed him, saying nothing.

 

~~~~~


	15. Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER 15

Several days had passed since they delivered the device to the kidnappers and Sam had been taken. There had been no word at all. Daniel had checked all the Gates even though he already knew they were not going to find anything. There just wasn’t anything to find.

Normally with a kidnapping, every day that passes means a smaller chance of the victims being found alive but in this instance, they all believed that Carter and Jonathan would be found alive and well. The only questions were how, when and where.

Jack continued his vigil on Edora with Laira, Teal’c, and their small complement of Marines. The rest of SG-1 was back at Cheyenne Mountain, puzzling over the whole thing.

Cam and Vala continued to circle one another in a dance that neither seemed to be able to stop outright. And Daniel was oblivious.

*

Cam had invited Vala off base into town for dinner again. Daniel had turned down the invitation, much to Cam’s dismay. Daniel was a deterrent to his growing obsession, or should he say his libido’s growing obsession, with Vala Mal Doran.

He’d found a new steak place that he wanted to try out and Vala certainly matched him in her appetite for food so she was happy to accompany him when he asked her.

The food was good. The meat was tender and tasty, the salads fresh and crispy and they made a wonderful loaf of homemade bread that was served with each meal.

Cameron and Vala were content to eat quietly when their salads came but the silence didn’t last. Cameron tried to talk about work, about the kidnappings and such but Vala kept teasing him. He wondered if she were simply teasing out of habit or if she knew what she was doing.

Vala certainly was no innocent girl. She’d been a Goa’uld and even worked with the Lucian Alliance, stealing and smuggling here and there. She could cheat or bluff her way out of lots bad situations too. He knew that from first hand experience but he’d seen a whole different person when her father had come to earth to live for a bit.

He thought he’d explode when she cut a tiny piece of her steak and fed it to him on her fork. He wasn’t sure whether to swallow it or jump across the table and devour her instead.

Finally and mercifully the dinner was done and they headed back to the base. As soon as they were back at the SGC in the deep part of Cheyenne Mountain, Vala turned to him and said, “Don’t I get a kiss at my door? Isn’t that the custom here on earth?”

His libido cackled with delight.

“It is if one is on a date.”

Vala laughed. “I went through this with Daniel once and somehow you ended up shackled to my bed. Remember, tiger?”

Despite all his better ideals and despite having more sense than to do it, he grabbed her and pushed her up against her closed door and kissed her, a long, deep kiss that certainly made his toes curl, among other things. Then without another word, he pushed himself away from her and high-tailed it to his own room, locking the door behind him.

Damn Vala Mal Doran! Damn her to hell!

*

At the briefing the next morning, everyone looked as if they’d had a lot to drink the night before. Except Vala, who was all smiles as she entered the room last as usual.

“Hi, boys. Ready to save the world today?”

“Sit down and shut up,” Cam mumbled as she sat beside him.

“Did we get up on the wrong side of the bed?”

“I did. You seem chipper enough though.”

Vala just smiled and opened the briefing notes.

Landry entered the room and sat at the head of the table. “There’s been no more word from the kidnappers, which is not necessarily a bad thing but it does leave us in a quandary as to what to do.”

Daniel spoke. “I think some of those planets that we were sent to bear a little closer scrutiny, maybe even Edora.”

Landry raised an eyebrow. “Edora? Are you thinking some of Laira’s people took the child?”

“No, but I think there may be clues as to who did somewhere on the planet.”

“Why do you think this?”

“Because all of the information has come from there and yet no one knows anything but that someone gave them a disc to deliver a few times.”

“So you’re thinking they have a hiding place or something there?”

“It’s possible. I don’t think the Edorans guard the gate much and it’s far enough away from Laira’s village that it could be used without the villagers knowing.”

Cam and Vala had neither said a word during this exchange. Landry looked at them expectantly. “Well? Do you agree with Dr. Jackson?”

Both nodded.

“Hangovers?” Landry asked.

“Cam is just a very grumpy man,” Vala said as she poked him in the rib with her elbow.

“Well, get over it, Mitchell. You all have places to go and things to do.”

*

Several days had passed since Sam had been brought here, wherever here was. Their captor always wore a mask, never showing his face so there wasn’t even a sure way to know he was human but Sam had a hunch that he was.

Jonathan was holding up well. He refused to cry, repeating that big boys simply did not cry. He even seemed to have some idea that it was his job to protect her. He was so like what she had imagined a young Jack to have been, what she hoped her own son would be someday.

If she ever got a chance at that someday.

It was breakfast time. She waited for the knock. The man brought their food at precisely the same time every day. Very military, she thought.

She woke Jonathan and they sat on a crate to eat the warm porridge. It wasn’t bad and there was milk too. Milk of what, she didn’t know, but it was cold and tasted good. After food, they were taken to the bathroom and then allowed to walk a bit. Jonathan never missed a chance to play with the puppies either.

“I want a puppy at home. We don’t have many dogs on our planet and they are expensive so we can’t get one. Most of them are used by herders and stuff. Not many are pets.”

“There are many, many dogs on earth. I think most are pets though there are still working dogs too. Maybe someday you can come see them.”

“I’d like that. Maybe I can come and stay with my dad there.”

“I hope so, Jonathan. I think your dad would love to take you fishing someday.”

 

~~~~~


	16. Chapter Sixteen

CHAPTER 16

When SG-1 arrived on Edora, the Marines met them at the Gate.

“Anyone come through here in the last 24 hours?” Cam asked the Marine in charge.

“No sir. It’s been as quiet as could be.”

Cameron sighed. He had almost wished that someone had been through… or tried to open the Gate. They needed to be thrown a bone here. Nothing so far had panned out so now they were going to search the planet for any anomaly or oddity they could find.

“Let’s get to the village and see if we can borrow some horses and maybe a guide or two,” he said to the rest of the team.

There weren’t many horses and fewer guides. The old man, Paynan, gave them some general directions and Laira provided them with provisions. Teal’c joined them as they set out in an old wagon that looked a bit rough but seemed sturdy enough with a pair of geriatric horses pulling it with more enthusiasm than Cam would have thought possible.

The roads were narrow but clear as far as they went. The planet was more plains than woods so even without a road, they could travel fairly well. There just wasn’t anything to see. No signs of anyone else. Or anything else.

They rode out about two hours then stopped to rest the horses.

“I’m thinking we need to scout around on foot,” Cam finally said. “I think the horses will be all right here if we water them and give them some oats to munch while we look around.”

Vala and Daniel paired up and headed in one direction while Teal’c and Cameron headed the opposite way. An hour later, they met back at the wagon.

“Anything?”

“Some very old wagon trails. Probably not used in years. But that’s it for us,” Daniel reported.

“We didn’t have that much luck! We saw a bird fly over and that was it.” Cam was becoming more and more aggravated by their lack of progress.

They returned to the village just as the sun set.

Laira had a pot of stew cooked for them and Jack seemed right at home acting as host.

“So did you find anything at all?” He asked, dryly, knowing the answer already.

“Bupkus, nada!” Cam responded.

“You do have a lovely planet but we didn’t find anything useful,” Vala said around big spoonfuls of food.

Daniel looked pensive then finally spoke. “What about the caves?”

Many years in the past, the natives had hidden in the caves when the annual meteor showers came. Laira’s older son had hidden there when Jack and SG-1 had come before. That was how Jack came to be stranded there for several months.

Jack looked at Laira. “Are they still accessible?”

“As far as I know,” Laira answered. “I’ve not been to them since you were here.”

O’Neill stood, ready to go with SG-1 to explore the last unturned stone on this planet. If they found nothing there, they were back at square one once again. They trekked out to the cave silently.

Jack went inside first. There he found food wrappers strewn about the cave floor. As the Edoras were an agrarian society, there were no food wrappers from this planet. They weren’t ones left by his team either.

“What do you make of these?” Jack handed one to Daniel. It was some sort of plastic and did not seem to be very old.

“They’re new but there’s no writing. No brand, nothing.”

“Generic food bars sometimes come in plain wrappers… so they could have come from earth,” Cam turned one inside out.

“Who on earth would know about Jack’s son when Jack didn’t even know?” Daniel asked.

“The Trust,” Teal’c and Jack said at the same time.

“But as far as we know, they’re all gone. Ba’al was the last of the Goa’uld. What about the last of the NID? I know there had to be some who didn’t go Goa’uld,” Cam asked.

“Let’s see what else we can find.” Vala held her weapon at the ready and headed back farther into the cave. Cam shoved around her and took point while Daniel brought up the rear.

There were foot prints, boot prints by the look of them and a few more wrappers on the floor. It was obvious that whoever was here either never thought he’d be caught or didn’t really care.

“Well, we know where the discs came from.” Cam pointed to a small table with a recording device on it. Beside it sat a chair. Both table and chair looked to be Edoran in origin.

Vala started to pick it up when Daniel grabbed her hand. “Wait.” He prodded it with his weapon and it didn’t explode. “Okay, now you can touch it.”

“Let’s not. Let’s bag it and take it back to the SGC. Maybe someone there has some criminal investigation background. Maybe we need to try to find evidence.” Cam knew he sounded like a television show but he had a niggling feeling that the recorder might hold some real clues.

They managed to find a couple of bags in one of their packs to put the little recorder in and they kept looking around. There was nothing more in the cave. They tucked the wrappers into a bag too.

“Let’s head back with this. Whoever was here is long gone, I expect,” Jack said. “I’ll stay here with Laira just in case we hear again.”

They made the trek back to Laira’s home and she fed them once again, seemingly glad for the distraction of doing something for someone else. After dinner, SG-1 bid Jack and Teal’c goodbye and left for home.

*

“You found these on the planet?” Landry sounded incredulous. “Does that mean some of Laira’s friends took the boy?”

Daniel fielded that one. “They don’t have the technology. Someone may be aiding the kidnappers, knowingly or not, but the kidnappers are from off world, maybe even Earth.”

“So where does that leave us?”

“Well, maybe there are fingerprints or DNA or something on these things we brought back,” Cam said.

“Been watching CSI again, haven’t you?” Landry chided the team leader.

“Hey, whatever works.”

“Sam’s friend Pete is still on the force here Colorado Springs. Maybe he could help us,” Daniel offered.

“Call him,” both Landry and Cam said at the same time.

*

Pete Shanahan listened to Daniel Jackson and when he came to the part about Samantha being kidnapped, Pete interrupted him. “What do you need?”

Daniel told him and in less than an hour, a police forensics expert was checking the wrappers and the recorder for prints and other possible evidence. The tech told them that he’d contact them as soon as he had any information.

On the way back to the SGC, Vala asked, “Now what?”

Daniel answered, “Now we wait.”

“Again,” Cam added.

 

~~~~~


	17. Chapter Seventeen

CHAPTER 17

 

As it turned out, the wait wasn’t very long but the information was not exactly useful. Pete Shanahan called back in less than two hours. Landry talked to him while the rest of SG-1 listened.

“Are you sure? All right. Yes, I’ll tell them and I’ll call you when we know anything. I know you are fond of Samantha. Yes, I promise I’ll call.”

Landry didn’t say anything for a moment after he hung up.

“Well? What is it?” Vala looked like she was about to explode.

“They found out who the prints belong to but, get this, he’s been dead for almost a year.”

“Dead?” Daniel said and Cam echoed a second later.

“Yes, dead. As a doornail.”

“Did he say who he was?”

“His name was Desmond Blackwelder and when they tried to get more info on him, they ran into a wall. It seems our dead Desmond Blackwelder might be connected to some clandestine government agency.”

“The NID?” Cam asked.

“Perhaps. I am going to see if I can find out just who he was. But that still doesn’t help us. The discs were made last week, not a year ago,” Landry answered. “I’ll make some calls and see what I can turn up.” He left the room to do just that.

Cam turned to Daniel. “Now what?”

“More waiting?” Daniel said.

“Lunch! I’m starving! Anyone want to join me?” Vala stood up and headed for the door. Cam and Daniel trailed along behind her.

Daniel and Cam ate very little while they watched Vala cram all manner of pastry into her mouth while she made happy noises and licked the extra sugar from her fingers. Cam had to suppress a moan of his own once or twice.

“Aren’t you boys hungry?” She got up to grab another honey bun and more coffee.

Daniel was trying to think about what they were going to do next but Cam had given up thought as he watched Vala eat.

She had to know what she was doing, he thought. He’d had sex that wasn’t nearly as erotic as what she was doing now.

“Cam? Did you hear me?” Daniel jarred him from his Vala-trance.

“Sorry. I was … wool gathering there. What did you say?”

“I think our kidnappers are from here on Earth.”

“Well, the fingerprints would certainly say that, now wouldn’t they?” Vala said dryly.

“They’d say a dead man did it too, man dead for nearly a year, so we know that things aren’t as they appear but still, could it be someone who managed to dig through the SGC files? How else would anyone guess about Laira and Jonathan if Jack didn’t even know?” Daniel was thinking aloud but what he said made sense and left them absolutely nowhere.

“But not even all the people who work here have access to the files,” Cam countered. He, himself, had gone through the files after much maneuvering and red tape on his part so he knew that one didn’t just walk in and open up a laptop and read.

“That is true but some agencies don’t let the rules and regulations get in their way.”

“I’d believe that if I could see where any of this is gaining anything for anyone. If they wanted the device so badly, then they know for sure by now that what we gave them is not it. Wouldn’t they have contacted us? Made more threats?”

“I agree. But if not that, then what?”

“They seem to be leading us along, Jackson. Have you noticed that?”

Daniel didn’t say anything for a sew seconds then nodded. “I have noticed it, but I’m not sure what to make of it.”

“Then you think we’re chasing out tails too?”

“Yes, it would seem we are.”

*

Jack O’Neill and Teal’c were in the caves on Edora, deeper in than SG-1 found the recorder. They were searching for something, anything that would give them another clue. Landry had sent word of what they found, that a dead man had been here, months after his death.

There had to be a clue somewhere. Jack thought the same thing that Jackson and Mitchell did, that they were being jerked around by someone with an awful sense of humor. Or someone who despised Jack enough to torment him but wasn’t evil enough to harm Samantha and Jonathan. He knew that Carter was all right. If something had happened to her, he’d know down deep in his gut, like he had the times that Daniel had been killed or harmed.

The cave seemed to be as clean as could be. There were no clues at all. Nothing. Almost as if it had been cleaned up to make sure no one would find anything.

“I think we may as well call it a day. There’s not a damned thing here.” He passed Teal’c as he had turned to go back the way they came.

*

Mitchell almost rushed General Landry as he came into the conference room. “Did you find out more? Did your sources come through?”

Landry waved him down and refused to answer until Dr. Jackson and Vala arrived too.

“Sit. I just got a call from a … friend. It seems that our Mr. Desmond Blackwelder is a bit of an enigma. He isn’t anywhere except for a name and a set of prints. He had no address, no phone number, no family, no past, nothing.”

“So he’s not real?” Vala asked.

“Oh, he’s real all right. He’s just not Desmond Blackwelder,” General Landry answered.

“Then who?” Cam was hoping Landry would have an answer.

“That is the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Every enquiry runs into dead space and brick walls.”

“Is the government protecting him?” Vala asked.

“I think not. I think he’s protecting himself maybe,” Landry said.

Cam shook his head. “None of it makes any sense.”

“I don’t think it’s supposed to, Mitchell,” Landry finally answered. “That’s the hardest part.”

*

Samantha and Jonathan were outside all morning, playing with the puppies and exploring the compound. There was always someone watching but he never removed his mask and he never said much, just terse commands when it was time to go back to their little room.   
Jonathan asked lots of questions about Jack and Sam always answered as truthfully as she could. She could almost imagine that if she had a son that he might be somewhat like this little boy. If she and Jack—But no, she’d not let herself go there. They both had always been soldiers and their work left little room for anyone else.

But still, she thought of him every day. Always.

 

~~~~~


	18. Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER 18

Probably the only people in the galaxy not scared to death for Sam and Jonathan were Sam and Jonathan themselves. They began to realize that they weren’t watched all the time. Samantha even suspected that their guard was the only other person anywhere nearby.

She began to try to figure out where the Stargate was. She knew about how long they had walked to the compound from the Gate but she couldn’t be sure that they came the shortest route. Assuming they did though, she could calculate about how far it was from her. Now all she needed was to figure the direction and to get free for a bit. Those were the tricky parts.

The road came in from the west and that seemed to be the only way in. She knew they had walked along a gravel road so that had to have been how she got there. They hadn’t seemed to change direction a lot but it was hard to tell blindfolded. She knew that if they were to escape, they had to find the Stargate. She had her code with her still since they’d only taken her weapon so they could go home safely if she could only get to the Gate.

*

Looking for Desmond Blackwelder was proving to be a dead end for SG-1. They just could not seem to get past the wall that protected his real identity. Cam was so frustrated that he was ready to punch something or someone. It seemed to be a constant feeling right now. Daniel was wise enough to stay out of his way when he got like this but Vala couldn’t leave him alone.

“Cam, would you like to walk me to my room? I think since we aren’t doing anything today that I will take a nap.”

Cam grunted but didn’t really answer her one way or the other.

“Do you suppose there are still some Goa’uld out there who have them? Wouldn’t that be horrid?”

Cam still said nothing.

“Or maybe the Ori have some people left…”

“Vala, if you do not shut that mouth, I am going to staple it closed. Do you understand me?” He growled the words at her.

She huffed, “You don’t have to be so testy, Cameron Mitchell!”

“Yes, I do. You are too stupid to know when to shut that mouth of yours!”

Of course this brought on the poor, hurt Vala tears. Daniel Jackson knew it was all a game but he still felt himself wanting to deck Mitchell and protect Vala. Instead he rose and left the room, mumbling something about checking some texts for information on something.

“Now see what you’ve done,” Vala pouted. “You upset Daniel.”

Cam made fists with both hands. “Vala… why don’t you go to your room before I kill you?”

She shrugged as if she had no idea why he was so upset and headed to her quarters.

Unfortunately Cam’s mind might have been angry with her but his body was a whole other thing. It urged him to forget common sense and go after her, to throw her up against the wall and shut her mouth himself.

He sighed. Maybe he should go work out before he killed someone. Someone like Vala Mal Doran.

*

Daniel looked up from a folder when Cam leaned up against the frame of his office door.

“Did you slug her?” Daniel couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

“Nope. I told her to go to her room. She actually went. I spent some time with the punching bag.”

“Do you have to bait her?”

“Me bait her? Are you nuts, Jackson? She seems to try to drive me crazy every second that she’s not trying to drive you crazy.”

Daniel smiled and nodded. “Finally you see it then.”

“You mean all this is on purpose? She’s playing us one off the other?” Cam felt more than stupid now. Had he not seen it before?

“From the minute she first walked through the gate.”

“What are we going to do?” Cam was quite aware of the looks Daniel gave Vala when he thought no one else was looking.

“Try not to let her distract us too much from our jobs. That’s all I’ve got.” Daniel shrugged.

*

Vala sat on her bed. She wasn’t as happy as Cam and Daniel thought she would be. She hated being lonely and both men were such stubborn ones, never willing to give an inch. When she had gone out with Daniel on their ‘date,’ she had hoped that it would lead to something more but her getting kidnapped and forgetting who she was sort of messed that up.

And Cam. If he weren’t so dutiful, he’d bed her in a second. She could see it in his eyes, could feel the tension every time she got close to him. But he would do what he was supposed to do. Always. What was that saying? An officer and a gentleman. That was it. That was her Cameron.

*

Landry paced back and forth until they were all seated and ready to listen to their orders.

“You will be returning to the planets that the kidnappers sent you to the first time. You will arrive on ATV’s to speed up your searching. Teal’c will come back from Edora to go with you so there will be two of you per vehicle. That gives you one person to drive and one to ride shotgun.”

They all nodded, ready to do whatever they had to do.

“Okay. If there are no more questions, let’s get to it. The ATV’s are waiting for you in the Gateroom.”

They visited the first planet and found the same nothing they found before. The only prints in the dirt were the ones they had made on their first trip through the Gate. They rode several miles away in opposite directions but still found mostly nothing. The only signs of life were some ruins that looked so old that the ancients might have built them. Any other day, Daniel would have wanted to stay and explore but not today. Today, he had a more important mission.

They went back to the Gate and set out in opposite directions again but again found nothing of any import. Discouraged, they went home.

*

Desmond Blackwelder was actually quite alive. He was not on earth though. He was at a location that no one would ever think to look for him. He was having the time of his life. He smiled and whistled as he walked away from the Stargate.

 

~~~~~


	19. Chapter Nineteen

CHAPTER 19

Everyone seemed to have forgotten about the Nox, everyone but Jack. He knew they would do all they could to find Jonathan and Carter. He was, however, beginning to get very impatient. He wanted the chance to get to know his boy. And he didn’t think he could live in a world without Carter.

“Laira, I need to go back home. I need to help with the hunt. I am going nuts sitting here doing nothing.”

She smiled gently at him. “I was wondering how long it would take you decide that. I am fine here. I know your people will find our son and bring him back to us. I just know they will.”

He rose, kissed her cheek and headed for the Gate. He did leave the Marines there for her protection.

*

Jack didn’t account for what time it was on earth and he landed in the Gateroom at about 3:30 am. He wasn’t surprised to find Walter there, manning the computer.

“Don’t you ever sleep?” He said as he waved to the man behind the glass window.

“Sometimes but I do swing shifts so some of the others who have family can get home more often.”

“Good man. I’m going to go find some coffee and wake General Landry. You carry on.”

Landry was actually asleep in his office in his chair. He did this more often than he’d admit to anyone too. Sometimes he thought to himself that it was no wonder his marriage had broken up. He was married to his work and his work was a demanding mate.

The knock woke him. “What? Chief?”

General O’Neill opened the door. “Sorry to wake you--”

“Did something happen?”

“No. I just decided to come back and forgot the time difference.”

“How come you decided to come back?”

“I need something to do, to help. I’m just sitting on my ass on Edora and it’s driving me nuts.”

“Right now, that’s about all any of us are doing. The team’s been out searching the planets we turned up with the Gate reader but so far, nothing.”

“I’m thinking we maybe need to contact the Nox again. I think they may be our only chance to find Carter and my son.”

“I can’t argue with you. We’ll get Jackson to send them a message again in the morning.”

“Why not now?” Jack was so eager that he forgot the time.

“It’s 3:30 am and Jackson is probably asleep. They put in a long day too.”

“Make us some coffee and we’ll wait for them to get up.”

Landry couldn’t argue. If someone had his daughter, he’d be the same way so he nodded and emptied the old coffee filter and rinsed it to make a fresh pot.

*

Vala was awake at 3:30 am too. She was thinking about Daniel Jackson and Cameron Mitchell.

Again.

Why were they both so difficult?

She punched her pillow and moaned, trying to get back to sleep.

*

Sam and Jonathan asked if they could explore more of the area. Their captor simply nodded. After all, where could they go?

“What we need to do is see if we can figure out where the Stargate is. We won’t try to go to it yet. We’re not ready to try to escape. I just want to see if I can find the right direction.”

Jonathan nodded and walked beside her.

“My mama said my papa goes through the Stargate all the time. Why can’t he find us here?”

“He doesn’t go through it much anymore. He is a leader of those who do now. His title is Head of Homeworld Security. His job is to make sure that those of us going through the Stargates and flying on spaceships protect our home from people who would harm us.”

“Then he is very important among his people?” The boy beamed with pride at the thought.

“Yes and he’s very important to his friends too. Your father is a good man, Jonathan. When you get to know him, you’ll see.”

“We’d better find that Gate then!” The little boy’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Without ranging very far at all from the compound, they did find the mostly likely direction. The road was well used and it was in the direction that Sam had thought before.

They decided to head back before their captor decided that they needed to be locked up in the shed again. Jonathan wanted to play with the puppies before it got dark.

*

Daniel couldn’t sleep. He got up at five and wandered down to the cafeteria. He grabbed coffee and sat down. Perhaps they should contact the Nox again. Their explorations were getting them nowhere and they still had no idea who Desmond Blackwelder had been.

He’d only ever felt so useless before when Apophis had taken Sha’re. Look how that turned out, he thought.

Were they missing something? He didn’t think so. This kidnapping wasn’t like one he’d ever seen before. The kidnappers really didn’t seem to want anything. They asked for a device that probably didn’t even exist. He certainly didn’t think the Nox used any sort of machine.

It was hard to figure out what someone had done when they couldn’t even figure out his motivation.

“There you are!” Jack startled Daniel.

“What are you doing here? You were on Edora.”

Jack smiled his odd smile. “Got tired of pacing and drinking Laira’s tea, not that there’s anything wrong with it but I needed to be here doing something.”

Dr. Jackson laughed. “I’m afraid we’re about out of ideas as to what to do.”

“I was thinking that we might contact the Nox again. But first, I’m going to ask Harry Maybourne what he knows about Desmond Blackwelder. If anyone would know about someone like that, it would be him.”

“I had thought of the idea of contacting the Nox. But not Harry. He could be of some help if he wanted to.”

“Let’s do it.”

*

The other SG-1 members were up and ready to head out by six-thirty. Jack joined them in the Gateroom as Walter dialed in and they headed once more to visit Harry Maybourne.

 

~~~~~


	20. Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER 20

Harry Maybourne was doing what he usually did when his visitors arrived. He was sitting on his throne. Two of his wives were attending him. One was fanning him in the heat of the day and the other was separating sections of an orange-like fruit and feeding it to him one piece at a time.

“Hi ya, Jack! Did you find the boy yet?”

“Nope. No luck yet but I did have another question for you.”

“I don’t know what more I can tell you but I’ll certainly try.”

Jack wondered why every word Harry had ever said sounded like a lie even when Jack knew he was telling the truth. His relationship with Harry could hardly be called a friendship but he was fairly sure that he was the closest thing Maybourne had to a friend. Well, except his subjects here, but that didn’t count, did it?

“Did you ever know a man named Desmond Blackwelder?”

“I… ah… maybe. The name sounds familiar. Why?’

“We believe he took the boy, then Carter.”

“Why come here? Couldn’t you check him out back at the SGC?”

“According to the only record we found, he’s dead.”

“And you figured if anyone would know him, I would?”

“That’s pretty much it.”

“He’s listed as dead, you say?” Harry scratched his chin.

“Completely. But he’s not because we got his fingerprints.”

“And no other info?”

“Nothing. Landry even called in favors but still nothing. I figured maybe he was connected with the NID when it went Goa’uld.”

“You think he’s a Goa’uld?”

Jack shook his head. “Can’t be. As far as we know, he hasn’t hurt them. And there have been no real drama queen stunts like the Goa’uld pull but the NID wasn’t Goa’uld when you worked for them so maybe he was just an agent. Maybe he got out before they went snakehead.”

“I do seem to remember working with him on a few missions. He was quiet. Did his work and never said much. All in all, I’d say rather unremarkable.”

“Do you know any details about him?”

Harry thought for a moment. “He was from Virginia. Military family. No wife or kids. Not many of us had those. The work was too risky. Like yours was.”

Jack thought back for a split second to why he’d joined the Stargate program. He’d joined to allow them to help him commit suicide after Charlie’s death. It hadn’t worked out that way though. He had, however, made sure that he’d had no more family connections after that. Or so he thought. Carter and Jonathan were changing that right now.

“Not much to go on.”

“Nothing to go on, if you ask me,” Daniel chimed in after being quiet as long as he could. He’d never had much use for Maybourne and still didn’t.

Harry put his hands up. “What can I say? I don’t know everything.”

“No, but you do know most everyone you ever worked with. You have a mind for detail and I am sure you know everything there is to know about this Blackwelder. I’m just not sure why you feel like you shouldn’t tell us.”

“I did take oaths and such.”

Daniel laughed. “Right. Like they mean anything to you now. Just tell us about him and we’ll leave you to your… wives.”

“Wives can be highly overrated. But I’ll see what I remember. Would you like some wine? My wives are quite the little vintners.”

“Only if it’ll make you think faster,” Jack answered him.

“It will.”

Harry led them to one of the outdoor tables and had one of his wives pour them all a glass of wine. Jack nodded as he tasted. It wasn’t bad at all.

“Now talk.”

“Blackwelder worked for me a few times. Never said much, did his job, was reliable.”

“Is he dead?” Jack asked.

“I never heard that he was. I’m sure that he must be in some deep cover.”

“To kidnap my son and Carter?”

Harry shrugged. “I don’t get much news here, Jack. All I can tell you is Blackwelder was okay. He must have a reason for what he did.”

“That’s it?” Jack stared at Harry.

“Yep, that’s it.”

“You’re still mostly worthless, Harry.”

Harry was not bothered in the least. “Anytime, Jack. Anytime.”

*

Far, far away on the Nox city above the clouds, Lya looked at a screen. Though the Nox preferred their lives simple, they did have technology when they needed it. Lya was doing as she had promised and was trying to locate Colonel Carter and Jack O’Neill’s son.

She was a little puzzled at what she was finding, but her data was good so the answer must be the correct one. She motioned Anteaus over.

“That is strange,”” he agreed with her. “Are Carter and the child harmed?”

“No. They are well. They are not kept locked up except during the night.”

“Are O’Neill and the others making any progress in finding them?”

“I do not see any.” Lya was fond of the humans. The Asgard were right about them. They were a good people with much potential, but they were still very young. “Shall we rescue them?”

“As long as they are unharmed, let us wait a little longer.”

Lya nodded and smiled. “Very well. I will continue to monitor them.”

*

Sam Carter was doodling on the dirt floor with a small stick. She was drawing a map of the compound and trying to flesh out the outlying areas from memory and from what she and Jonathan had seen on their unsupervised walks.

She needed to figure out how to get out of the locked storage room. The rest was as simple as sneaking toward the Gate and hoping that their captor was a sound sleeper. She decided that they only had one captor now though there had been several in the beginning. He was the only one they’d seen in several days.

There were some tools here in the shed. She needed to take stock and see if anything would do the job.

The lock was a simple hasp but even that was hard to pry loose without a strong enough instrument to do it with. She needed a crowbar or a large screwdriver even. She might only get one chance so it had to work.

She found some broken tools but none were usable as a pry bar. She sighed in frustration. There had to be something. She was pacing and thinking when she saw it, an old hoe that had fallen down behind a shelf. She didn’t get it out. It was late and Jonathan was still asleep. It would still be there tomorrow night.

 

~~~~~


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

CHAPTER 21

Jack and SG-1 had not lingered long after their talk with Harry though they did share a midday meal with him and his people. Jack figured there was no need to eat protein bars when Harry’s wives were such good cooks.

After lunch, they bid the jaunty spy-turned-monarch farewell and headed home. If nothing else, this whole episode had been discouraging from beginning to end.   
*

It was not even noon when they got back to the SGC.

“What now?” Mitchell didn’t want to sit around and twiddle his thumbs all day but he wasn’t at all sure what there was to do at this point. They all knew that something simply did not fit properly but no one knew what to do about it.

“We contact the Nox now. Perhaps they have news,” Daniel said.

“Wouldn’t they just show up if they wanted to tell us something?” Vala interjected.

Daniel sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. They do still see us as children anyway.”

“That might be true but they would not allow Colonel Carter and General O’Neill’s son to be harmed if they could prevent it.” Teal’c had said little all day, but that was fairly normal for him.

“So what else is there to do?” Vala asked.

Landry looked at Cameron. “You have mission reports, Mitchell. Several of them.” He smiled and slid the folder with Mitchell’s paperwork across the table to him. Cam’s groan was very audible.

Vala turned to Daniel. “What shall we do, Daniel?”

“You can help me catalog some artifacts. SG-5 found them in an old Goa’uld stronghold. They seem to predate the hand devices we saw them use so many times.”

Vala clapped her hands together. “Oh goody!” She followed Dr. Jackson nonetheless.

She really didn’t mind helping him and sometimes she was even able to answer a question about the Goa’uld or the Ori that he didn’t know the answer to. Having been a Goa’uld host and having been married to an Ori follower helped a great deal.

She wondered sometimes if she shouldn’t have gone with Tomin and helped him rebuild his world after the end of the Ori. He was a good man and she had loved him after a fashion. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be at home here on Earth.

Well, if Muscles had done it then so could she.

“Daniel, do you have any idea where Sam and the child are? Are we really so clueless?”

“I’m afraid we are.”

“I hate feeling so helpless. I felt like this after Adria was born and they took her away from me.”

Daniel sometimes forgot what she had lost in the last few years. She’d lost her daughter though she claimed that Adria was simply a tool of the Ori and not really her child, he knew better. He saw that hollow despair sometimes when she didn’t think anyone was looking at her. She did love Adria, no matter what the girl was and she mourned her loss.

“I’m hopeful that they’ll be back soon. I don’t know why but I am.” Truth was, he couldn’t imagine a world without Carter any more than Jack could. She had been a part of his life for so long that she was like a sister to him. She had to come back. No other outcome was acceptable.

“I want her back too.” Vala was much more perceptive than most knew.

Daniel looked at her oddly for a moment then returned to his work. He would never figure her out altogether.

*

It was nearly dark when Samantha and Jonathan were returned to the storage shed for the night. Food arrived in about an hour along with some extra blankets. After she was sure their captor was gone and before they lost all light, she removed the hoe from its fallen position and inspected it. It wasn’t in great shape but it might serve the purpose of forcing the hasp off the door if she could get it through the slim opening.

“What are you doing?” Jonathan was at her elbow, whispering his question.

“I’m trying to force the door open so we can head for the Stargate.”

“Will he kill us if he catches us?”

“I don’t know but he’s shown no interest in hurting us so far.”

“Shouldn’t we wait a while to make sure he is asleep before we go? He’s not been gone very long yet.”

Samantha smiled. He was such an intelligent boy. He was thinking much more clearly than she was, apparently. “You’re right. I had only thought to get to the Gate as quickly as possible. We’ll rest a few hours then try it.”

She set the alarm on her digital watch and they lay down with their extra blanket to catch a few winks before they attempted to escape.

*

Far away on the Nox home world, Lya was getting ready to rescue Samantha and Jonathan. She would simply gate to the planet, cloak them with invisibility and they would come back through the Gate. Then she would take them back to Jack O’Neill.

Quick and simple.

*

Back at the SGC, Daniel Jackson was still in his office with Vala. They had catalogued several items and he was making tea for them with his back turned to her.

“You know, Daniel, I’ve been trying to decide if I’d rather make love with you or Mitchell. What do you think?”

He almost dropped the teakettle where he stood. Why did she say things like that?

“I… uh… I’m sure that is your decision, Vala.”

As soon as he finally managed to pour the hot water into the cups, he turned around. She smiled a smile that would have made a shark proud.

“I think I’ve made my decision, Daniel.” She moved around the desk they had been working at and toward Daniel. He felt the urge to run. Fast. But he felt another urge too; one to take this crazy woman in his arms and throw caution to the winds.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, he was saved by the bell as his office phone rang. It was from the IOA, wanting him to chair another symposium on ancient artifacts in Egypt.

 

~~~~~


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

CHAPTER 22

Samantha’s watch woke her after roughly two hours of fitful sleep. Jonathan woke too. They hurriedly packed what little stuff they had and Sam picked up the hoe. The blade was pretty long so she thought she could wedge it in the door and still have some blade to press against the hasp.

She cautiously began to do so. The hoe slipped in between the opening and the blade pressed against the metal hasp. She kept pushing and it moved a little. She stopped, worrying that the blade might not be long enough to account for the amount of play between the door and the frame.

After a second, she threw caution to the wind and pushed at it hard. It loosened the hasp a lot but it didn’t open it all the way. The door opened inward so slamming themselves against the door wouldn’t work. They had to keep working with what they had, hoping that they could simply keep at until it finally was pushed far enough that the nails holding the hasp would pull out and they could slip out and head to the gate.

After a few minutes of fruitless struggle, it dawned on her that perhaps she and Jonathan could pull the door inward now enough to loosen the nails, using the hoe and handle as their tool to do so.

After several minutes of frustration, it worked. The hasp popped and Samantha and Jonathan were free.

Now they had to make good on their escape.

Samantha grabbed the hoe for a weapon and off they went in the direction of the Stargate.

“Can you turn on your light?” Jonathan had been amazed at Samantha’s flashlight, never having seen one before.

“I’m afraid it’ll be seen. Maybe when we get farther away from the compound.”

“I sure wish we could take a puppy with us,” Jonathan said wistfully.

Sam felt bad for him. “Maybe if your mother says it’s okay, we can get you one from Earth when we get back.”

That seemed to satisfy him and they moved steadily in the direction of the Gate. They kept to the edge of the path so they’d be harder to see. Jonathan seemed to have no trouble keeping up with her. He was a hardy child who’d grown up in a world without Earth’s modern conveniences. He was strong and fast for his age.

They’d been walking about half an hour when they heard dogs barking in the distance. Sam knew their captor was hunting them.

“Just keep moving. I still don’t think he’ll hurt us but I don’t want to be locked up anymore either.”

Jonathan just nodded and they picked up the pace.

The night was not very dark. The stars shone brightly and the moon was much larger than earth’s, giving off a bright glow. This was good for them to see but it also made it easier for them to be seen.

The sound of the dogs didn’t seem to be coming very much closer but they pressed on. Samantha estimated that they were getting close. Very close.

Suddenly, up ahead she heard the sound of the Gate opening. It was unlike the sound it made when dialed with a DHD, but she recognized the sound. It was the sound that the Stargate made when the Nox opened it.

“Run toward the sound,” she whispered to Jonathan.

She turned to look behind them and almost as if by magic, their captor was closing in on them from behind. It would be a miracle if they made it to the gate, simply a miracle.

“Colonel Carter!” He called out in his oddly inflected voice. “Things will go better for you and the boy if you surrender now. If not, well, who knows what things the dogs might do to you or the child.”

Carter’s answer was to just keep running. She caught up with Jonathan and scooped him up. He was slender and adrenaline made him seem almost weightless and she ran as fast as she could toward the Gate. She could see the light of the open Stargate through the trees.

Not much farther!

Suddenly someone grabbed her from behind ands she and Jonathan fell to ground, rolling in the dirt.

“Run!” She shouted at Jonathan as she grappled with the masked man.

They weren’t going to make it.

As suddenly as the man had grabbed her, he let go. They were almost in the clearing where the Stargate stood. Sam didn’t have much time to think but this one looked a little familiar. It would come back to her. She had other things to do right now. Like get away.

But he didn’t come after her or Jonathan when she ran. She realized why when she saw Lya standing in front of the Stargate with her arms opened wide. They were invisible!

“Come quickly, Samantha Carter and young Jonathan. O’Neill awaits your return with very little patience.”

They hurried to the Gate and soon they were on Lya’s planet. She and her family fed them and made sure they suffered no ill effects from their captivity then they returned to the Gate.

The next stop was the SGC.

*

The claxons sounded and Walter made his customary announcement. “Unauthorized wormhole!”

Landry was quick to message him. “Open the iris.”

Before Walter could object and do much of anything, the Gate opened then the iris opened anyway. Lya stepped through. One hand was holding Samantha Carter’s and the other was holding young Jonathan O’Neill’s.

Jack and the others had heard the announcement and by the time they got to the Gateroom, Lya and her charges stood on the ramp. The Gate had closed and Lya was smiling at them all.

Jack almost lost his breath when he saw the boy. Charlie had looked like Jack too but this little boy was the spitting image of Jack at his age. Jonathan had no trouble figuring out which one was his father either.

“Papa!” He shouted the name and ran to Jack’s arms. “I am so glad to meet you! Colonel Carter says you’re a great man!”

Jack looked over the boy’s head at Carter, who smiled and blushed. “We’ll have to see about that but I sure am glad to meet you. You and I have to go through the Gate to let your mom know you’re safe. That okay?”

“Yes! I missed Mama!”

Lya bowed and waved her hands, making the Gate open again. She smiled and nodded to them all and stepped back through the Stargate.

 

~~~~~


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three and Epilogue

CHAPTER 23

Everything had transpired so fast that no one seemed to know exactly what had happened. SG-1 escorted Jack and Jonathan back through the Gate to Edora. They had barely come through the Stargate when Laira came running.

“Oh my son!” She grabbed Jonathan and swung him around. “You’re safe! You’re home!” She began to rain kisses on him and he began to object like any little boy will when his mother kisses him in front of other people.

Jack beamed like a proud papa.

Laira turned to Jack. “Thank you all so much!”

“We didn’t do much. Thank Carter. She took care of him while they were kidnapped,” Jack gestured to Samantha.

“I’m just so glad to have him back!” She kissed him again and he wiped the kiss away, grinning at Jack all the while.

Finally she invited them all to her house to celebrate Jonathan’s homecoming and they accepted. Neighbors brought food in and the men of the village set up tables on the lawn. A few jugs came in too. Jack winced at the memory of the strong drink they made here. He’d had few hangovers that bad in all his years.

Jonathan never left Jack’s side all evening. He hung on his father’s every word but then Jack returned the favor.

Sam found herself wondering if maybe Jack would retire and move here to be with his son. But then he looked at her and she knew that the boy was not the only one he was glad to see. Even if he didn’t say much, his feelings were shining in his dark eyes as he smiled at her and patted the chair on his other side.

“Come. Sit. Long time no see.”

She sat, smiling at him. It was good to be back, good to see Jack again.

The celebration lasted long into the evening, long after Jack had helped put young Jonathan to bed, promising that he’d still be around when morning came.

Daniel found himself dancing with Vala as one of the Edoran men played a fiddle. The music was similar to an Irish Jig. The two of them acquitted themselves very well but they were completely breathless when they song was done. They grabbed some ale and found chairs.

“I enjoyed helping you work today, Daniel.”

“Sometimes, you’re not bad to have around,” Daniel muttered as he put an arm around her shoulder. She moved a little closer and placed her head on his shoulder.

Cameron might have been jealous but he was too glad to see Vala smiling. He was nothing if not a good sport. Besides, there were always more women, weren’t there?

He turned to Teal’c. “Must be nice to see General O’Neill again, huh, big guy?”

Teal’c nodded. “Indeed.”

It was somewhere in the wee small hours when the party broke up. Teal’c decided he would stay with Jack and the Marines here on Edora while the rest of SG-1 went back home. They still had a big mystery to unravel.

*

Work on unraveling the mystery was slow, even with Sam helping. She simply did not know where they had taken her.

“There was something about it that seemed familiar but I can’t think of what. Not sure if it was the Gate, the planet… I just don’t know.”

Daniel said, “I’ve had that feeling all along, almost as if it were a very strange practical joke but who would do such a thing?”

“We’ve met lots of strange people over the years. That’s for sure. Some didn’t even know they were. Remember Joe, the guy with the stone?” She asked.

Daniel laughed. “I always thought Jack was the weird one there. He had been living Joe’s life and never said a word to anyone.”

“Speaking of the stones, have you heard any more from the Icarus group since they were lost on the Ancient ship?” Sam asked.

“They are still out there. They come back once in awhile using the stones but we don’t hear much since most of that goes through the Pentagon. The SGC is out of the loop sometimes since the IOA runs the whole show these days, or tries to anyway.”

“Do you know Rush?” She asked.

“I met him a few times. He might be brilliant but I think even Rodney McKay has more personality than that guy.” Daniel made a face.

“Yeah, me too,” she laughed.

Cam joined them. “Any ideas yet?”

In unison, Sam and Daniel answered, “Not yet.”

“I know we all want to know. But I’m beginning to think that ain’t gonna happen. The really important bit is we got Sam and the kid back safe and sound, isn’t it?”

“But don’t you want to know?” Daniel asked.

“Not so much now that they’re safe.” Cameron couldn’t even explain why but there was a part of him that said not knowing would be a good thing.

“Do either of you know where I can get a puppy?” Sam asked them.

“You don’t seem the dog type.” Cam observed with wry grin.

“I’m not but there was a litter of puppies in the barn where we were being held and the man… that man let Jonathan play with them almost every day. I told him I would get him a puppy when we got home.”

“Don’t you think you should ask his mother?” Daniel pointed out to her.

“I know I should but I don’t think I will. I think I’ll get one and surprise him. When Laira sees how he loves it, she won’t mind.”

“Go to the pound first. The dogs there need homes.”

Sam grinned and stood. “You’re right, Daniel. I’m going to check out their website then have a visit with them.”

*

Jack O’Neill and his son, Jonathan O’Neill, were riding in the long canoe on the shallow stream that Jack had rowed on years before. They’d caught a few fish and waded in the shallows near the shore.

“Do you love Sam?” Jonathan asked out of the blue.

Jack didn’t have an answer for him for a second. Finally he said, “Yes, I do love her. I have loved her for a long time.”

“Then why do you not bond?”

“She works for the same people I do and they would frown upon us marrying.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t work for them then. Sam is keen. She treated me like a grown up when that man had us. She never talked to me like I was a child.”

“Maybe you’re right, son. I surely will give it some thought. I’ve worked for these people a long time. Maybe I need to retire.” He grinned and ruffled Jonathan’s hair. “I’ve got a son to teach how to hunt and fish and stuff. I might not have time to work anymore.”

Jonathan felt so proud to have such a fine father after all these years of waiting.

*

Two days later, Sam gated to Edora with a wriggling Golden Retriever pup named Sandy in her arms. The Marines met them at the Gate and escorted them to the village. Word had already gotten around that Sam had come by the time she stepped up onto Laira’s porch. She knocked on the door and Jonathan opened it.

He squealed and shot out the door like a bullet, taking the puppy from Sam’s arms. “You did it! You didn’t forget!”

Laira raised an eyebrow at Sam but then she smiled. “What do you say, son?”

“Thank you, thank you!” He jumped up to hug her, puppy and all.

“I have his bowl and other things in my pack. He is healthy and has had all his vaccines and such though I’m not sure what good they’d be here. I wish I’d been able to tell the Animal Shelter where he was going to live. He’s probably the first Earth dog to live on another planet.”

 

~~~~~~

EPILOGUE

After several months of trying to determine who had kidnapped young Jonathan O’Neill and Colonel Samantha Carter, the case was put away. It was not closed. Stargate Command and the IOA still wanted answers but there were other more pressing things to consider.

The Icarus group on the Ancient ship Destiny were still lost in space billions of light years from home. Every day was crucial as they raced time to keep ahead of their dwindling supplies.

The Jaffa were still arguing over leadership roles in their newly formed government. They had survived the Goa’uld and the Ori but arguing amongst themselves was close to dividing them anew. General O’Neill had insisted that SG-1 be a part of the negotiations. Jackson, Mitchell and Vala were spending much time with Teal’c, trying to help them settle their differences.

When the Atlantis Expedition returned, bringing their city with them, that too was a problem. They needed to be kept hidden. There was also the issue of their enemies possibly following them from the Pegasus galaxy and they had some formidable enemies in the Wraith and the replicators.

This did not mean that SG-1, Sam Carter and Jack O’Neill gave up. Not at all. But they kept running into dead ends. They’d think they found something but then it wouldn’t pan out. Once they found a compound on an uninhabited planet that looked exactly like the one Sam and Jonathan had been held at but it wasn’t. When Sam had gone to see it, she’d seen small differences including the fact that the storehouse door showed no signs of her having broken out of it.

*

Jack O’Neill still headed Homeworld Security, a job he despised. He hated being a bureaucrat and that’s all he was any more. He longed for the old days of fighting Goa’uld or better yet, he longed for the weekends when he went to Edora to visit Jonathan and learn how to be a father again.

The other part was proving a bit harder. Sam was seldom on world but when she was, they made some time to see one another.

“Carter, I, uh, I think you should know something,” he’d stammered to her when he’d returned home after spending several weeks with Jonathan when they were first rescued.

“What is that, sir?” Her heart was hammering in her chest so hard that she could barely hear herself think.

“I’d like, what I mean is, uh, when I retire, I’d like you to come fishing with me in Minnesota.”

“I’d like that, sir.”

“Permanently.”

She had been taken aback but had finally stepped close enough for him to take her into his arms. “Oh yes, sir! I’d like that very much.”

*

Vala was still playing Cam off of Jackson but she knew that Daniel was the one for her. She needed him to know it too before she committed to him, but he was stubborn.

“Daniel, will you take me to the SGC holiday party?” She knew he had no family and Cameron was going to visit his parents. He had no excuse.

“I think I’ll just work this year. I’m not much into the holidays.”

“I am not taking no for an answer. I don’t want to be alone and you don’t either so there.”

He finally agreed grudgingly. Vala set about planning to make him her own. She never noticed the knowing smile that Teal’c sported every now and again.

*

On a planet very far away, Desmond Blackwelder planned his holidays. He would not be on Earth but that didn’t mean no presents and no fun.

Not that he’d had a lack of fun this year. He’d bet that SG-1 was still chasing its tail over who had kidnapped the boy and Carter. He was fairly sure that the Nox knew exactly who he was but he’d bet a cow that they’d never tell, not unless asked directly. That wasn’t too likely at all.

He had done it all for O’Neill anyway. He had stumbled across a file about Edora and then visited there. One look at the boy told him all he needed to know about the child’s parentage. He figured he owed Jack at least that much and an idea was born. He should have known they’d make it complicated but that was just SG-1.

The side benefit was that he’d gotten to see them all again. And even go to Earth for a few hours.

Well, he hadn’t been found out. That was a good thing. He hated it when someone found he’d done a good deed. He much preferred to be thought of as bad. Besides if they did find out, what could they do? Ban him from coming back to Earth? Too late for that.

As the Bard said, all’s well that ends well.

Blackwelder headed back to the village. He smiled and nodded to all the townspeople he met. At the center of the village, he mounted a throne.

“May I serve you, King Arkhan?”

“No, my wife. I am well pleased just to watch you all go about your work.”

Yes, indeed, it was good to be the king, thought Harry Maybourne to himself.

~The End~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTES
> 
> Just a few notes and acknowledgments.
> 
> I’d like to thank Yappychick for hosting this event and offering lots of encouragement to us all. I’d also like to thank my artist, rightxhere, for her wonderful work. I couldn’t ask for a better banner! Most of all, I’d like to thank my wonderful beta and friend, Larian. Without her, I cannot write at all, and my hubby Larry, who always thinks I can write anything!
> 
> A few notes and such.
> 
> I chose this story because it was one of the most obvious loose ends that were never revisited. There was even talk of follow up on ‘A Hundred Days’ but it was never done. There are many other tales to tell from this world but hopefully they will wait for another year.
> 
> I am a Jack/Sam shipper as well as a Vala/Daniel shipper though no woman in her right mind would turn down Cameron Mitchell. I never could get him to just come out and ask Vala though he seemed to want to awfully bad.
> 
> I tried to stick to canon as much as possible and for the most part, I did. I am not sure that Harry was still King Arkhan after the Goa’uld attack but for my purposes, he was. I also remember that the Nox were supposed to have buried their Stargate. I chose to have it working again, as well as the Gate on Edora.
> 
> I did not even try to make time match up… I sort of randomly had it night or day, whichever suited my purposes as I wrote. I also did not chronicle how many days the entire ordeal took, no more than one to two weeks, I think. It really wasn’t too important to the story past the first few critical days.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Alex


End file.
